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Starmer confirms UK talking to other countries about getting them to host 'return hubs' for refused asylum seekers
Q: [From Christopher Hope from GB News] To Starmer – Which countries are you talking to about hosting ‘return hubs’ about migrants from the UK whose applications for asylum have failed?
Starmer says he is interested in using return hubs. He says he is in talks with other countries about this. But he would like to add them to the list of measures being used to tackle this problem. But he says he is not in a position to give more information about this plan yet.
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Rama says relations with UK in 'new era', after reporter asks Starmer to apologise for Tory comments about Albanians
Q: Will you apologise for the way Albanians have been treated by the UK in the past? (That seems to be a reference to what Suella Braverman said about Albanians when she was home secretary.)
Starmer says the fact that he is the first UK prime minister to have an official visit to Albania shows the respect he has for the country. He says he will not comment on the previous government.
Rama says it was not any British PM who offended Albanians. There were “a few other individuals that did it”, he says. But he says they have now been “taken out” by the British people at the election.
He says the two countries are now in a “new era” as they are building a new partnership.
And that’s the end of the press conference.
Starmer confirms UK talking to other countries about getting them to host 'return hubs' for refused asylum seekers
Q: [From Christopher Hope from GB News] To Starmer – Which countries are you talking to about hosting ‘return hubs’ about migrants from the UK whose applications for asylum have failed?
Starmer says he is interested in using return hubs. He says he is in talks with other countries about this. But he would like to add them to the list of measures being used to tackle this problem. But he says he is not in a position to give more information about this plan yet.
Albanian PM says he would not host 'returns hub' for migrants from UK, because he already has deal with Italy
Q: [From Christopher Hope from GB News] To Rama – It sounds like you are ruling out hosting an offshore processing centre. Is that right?
Rama says Hope is right. He says when the started this process with Italy, it was a “one-off” because of the special relationship between the two countries, and because their geographical closeness meant it “made a lot of sense”.
But other countries have asked about this. He says he has said no because Albania is “loyal to the marriage with Italy”. The others are just “loves”, he says.
The two PMs are now taking questions.
Q: [To Starmer] Did you discuss sending failed asylum seekers to Albania?
This is a reference to this Times story by Steven Swinford. He says:
Britain has opened formal talks about sending failed asylum seekers to detention centres abroad, Sir Keir Starmer has announced during a trip to Albania.
The prime minister said the government wanted to send failed asylum to “return hubs” overseas once they had exhausted all avenues of appeal. He said that it could form part of Britain’s “armoury” in dealing with illegal migration.
No 10 did not specify which countries it had entered talks with but The Times has previously disclosed that ministers were looking at hubs in the western Balkans. Potential partners could include Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and North Macedonia, with any deal requiring Britain to pay for each asylum seeker who has been relocated.
Starmer says he and Rama have been talking about about tackling cross-border crime. He says he likes the fact that Rama is not someone who sees a problem and just walks around it. Rama is someone who likes to tackle the problem, he says.
But he does not address the point about Albania potentially being a “return hub” for people who apply for asylum in the UK but have their applications refused.
Starmer says he is delighte dot announce the enhanced UK-Albania strategic partnership.
And he says he is also announcing a joint statement of intent on defence industry cooperation.
Keir Starmer says he is the first UK PM to come to Albania for a bilateral meeting.
It is a prelude to a meeting of the European Political Community in Albania tomorrow.
Starmer says today’s meeting is “the next chapter of our countries’ strong relationship’.
And he has seen how they are working together on issues like crime, he says.
He says he is grateful for Rama’s “bold leadership”. Their cooperation has led to an “incredible reduction” in the number of Albanians coming to the UK on small boats. (See 10.28am.)
Rama says the Albanian police and security services have been awarded a prize for their work with the UK’s Home Office.
Edi Rama is opening the press conference.
If you are watching, you may think Rama is standing on a platform. But he’s not. Politico describe him this morning as “the six-foot-seven socialist who has just won his fourth term over a MAGA-linked rival”.
Starmer holds press conference in Tirana with Albanian PM Edi Rama
Keir Starmer is now holding a press conference with his Albanian counterpart, Edi Rama.
There is a live feed at the top of the blog.
UK will miss 'best chance to accelerate growth' without 'serious' reset with EU, MPs say
Lisa O'Carroll
Lisa O’Carroll is a Guardian correspondent covering trade and Brexit.
The Commons business and trade committee (BTC) today said the goverment “must not shy away from difficult decisions and trade offs” as it renegotiates its relationship with the EU.
In the absence of a green paper on the reset with the EU, the committee has published a report setting out 20 policy areas it wants the government to pursue including a reduction in checks on food and drink exports, customs simplification and accelerated joint investment in energy to reach net zero climate targets.
They also call for the UK to pursue a “multi-annual” review of the fishing deal struck in Lord Frost’s trade and cooperation deal in 2020.
Liam Byrne, Labour chair of the committee, said:
It’s time to face facts. If Britain wants to beat the forecasts and escape stagnation, we don’t need to pray to the bond markets — we need to unlock the Brussels dividend through a strategic reset with our biggest trading partner.
Today’s report from the BTC is a blunt warning that without a serious reset in our relationship with Europe, Britain will miss its best chance to accelerate growth and bolster security in a increasingly dangerous world. At stake is not only a new opportunity to rebuild our defences - but a huge prize to kickstart UK goods exports which have flatlined since Brexit. This summit is Britain’s opportunity to re-anchor our economic and security strategy in shared strength, not splendid isolation. Government must seize it.
The committee notes that 41% of all UK exports go to the EU, more than the US, India and Indo-Pacific combined, with some witnesses telling the committee GDP could grow by 1-1.5% or around £15bn if there was “deep” regulatory alignment on goods, even within British red lines of remaining outside the single market and customs union.
EU and UK at loggerheads over fishing rights and youth mobility
EU member states have rejected UK positions on fishing and a youth mobility deal as tensions mount before a much-anticipated summit between Keir Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen next week, Jennifer Rankin and Lisa O’Carroll report.
