British PM Keir Starmer and Italy's Giorgia Meloni comment on migration policy

(16 Sep 2024)
RESTRICTIONS SUMMARY:

AGENCY POOL
Rome, 16 September 2024
1. Italy’s Prime Minster Giorgia Meloni and British Prime Minister Keir Starker walking in the gardens of Villa Doria Panphili
2. Wide of Meloni and Starmer in garden outside Villa Doria Pamphili
3. Various of Starmer and Meloni talking in garden and waving
4. Starmer and Meloni arriving for news conference
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Keir Starmer, British Prime Minister:
“We also discussed the challenge of irregular migration. This is a problem across Europe, for both of our countries in particular, but across Europe. As Director of Public Prosecutions in Britain some years ago I saw the important work that can be done across borders on issues like counter-terrorism. And I have never accepted, as we discussed, that we can’t do the same with smuggling gangs. And now of course Italy has shown that we can. You've made remarkable progress working with countries along migration routes as equals, to address the drivers of migration at source and to tackle the gangs. As a result, irregular arrivals to Italy by sea are down 60% since 2022. So I am pleased that we are deepening our cooperation here, led on the UK side by our new Border Security Commander who has been with me today here in Italy at the coordination centre this morning to share intelligence, share tactics, shut down smugglers’ routes and smash the gangs.”
6. Meloni and Starmer at news conference
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Keir Starmer, British Prime Minister:
“Of course its a problem when we got people arriving into the UK, who are arriving unlawfully across the Channel or any other route, and of course every government has the responsibility of making sure our borders are secure. But rather than a gimmick - which as you know, it cost 700 million pounds to persuade four volunteers to go to Rwanda - we have gone down the road of pragmatism. Already we have returned over 3,000 people by flights. So the flights actually did get off under this government, not to Rwanda but back to countries of origin carrying with them 3,000 people who shouldn’t be here, including the single biggest flight that has ever taken off returning people to their country of origin. And that’s why we are working so intently on the Border Security Command, which is intended to take down the gangs that are running this vile trade in the first place."
8. Meloni and Starmer at news conference
9. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Giorgia Meloni, Italian Prime Minister:
“Every week thousands of migrants cross the Mediterranean (Sea) to reach Italy, to illegally come into Europe, many of them also cross the Channel to reach the United Kingdom. It’s obviously a phenomenon that affects all the European continent. With Prime Minister Starmer we agree on then fact that the first thing to do should be to strengthen the fight against human trafficking, and do so by uniting our efforts even more, work on a better security cooperation, a cooperation between our police forces, our intelligence services, between our judicial authorities.”
10. Meloni and Starmer at news conference
11. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Giorgia Meloni, Italian Prime Minister:
“We also agree on the fact that we must not fear exploring new solutions. We talked about the Italy-Albania agreement, which is a solution that the British government is showing a lot of interest in, and clearly we have offered them all the elements to better understand this mechanism that has been one of the new changes the Italian government has brought in the politics of migration flows.”
12. Meloni and Starmer shaking hands
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