British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday (May 15, 2025) stated that the U.K. would initiate discussions with other nations regarding the establishment of “return hubs” for failed asylum seekers.
“What we are currently discussing and aiming to implement are return hubs, where individuals who have gone through the UK asylum system and need to be returned will be facilitated through these hubs,” Starmer shared with GB News television from Albania during his official visit.
Starmer is facing pressure to reduce the influx of irregular migrants arriving on U.K. shores, many of whom arrive in small boats, amidst the growing support for the hard-right and anti-immigrant Reform U.K. party.
While under Starmer’s Labour government, the UK abandoned a plan last July to deport undocumented migrants to Rwanda.
The crackdown on irregular migrants was a key focus of Starmer’s two-day visit to the southeast European nation.
Earlier this week, Starmer introduced stringent new immigration policies including restrictions on overseas care workers, extending the waiting period for migrants to qualify for settlement in the country, and increased authority to deport foreign criminals.
This move was perceived as an effort to counter the increasing popularity of Nigel Farage’s hard-right Reform U.K. party, which gained ground in local elections.
Labour had pledged in its general election manifesto to significantly decrease net migration, which had reached 728,000 in the 12 months leading up to June last year.
Net migration had peaked at 906,000 in 2023 after averaging 200,000 throughout most of the 2010s.
In addition to legal migration, the U.K. has witnessed a surge in irregular migrants, with over 12,500 individuals crossing the perilous Channel so far this year, according to data from the U.K.’s interior ministry.
Published – May 15, 2025 11:38 pm IST
