Keir Starmer announces new crackdown on people smugglers as he visits Albania
15 May 2025, 00:39 | Updated: 15 May 2025, 13:51
Sir Keir Starmer is set to increase co-operation with Albania on tackling illegal immigration and organised crime as he visits the country on Thursday.
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In the first official visit to Tirana by a British prime minister, Sir Keir and his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama are expected to agree measures to clamp down on people smuggling.
The visit comes in the same week that the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats passed 12,000 for the year.
Labour was elected on a manifesto promise to “smash the gangs” smuggling people into the UK in small boats, but some 12,699 people have made the journey so far this year, putting 2025 on course to be a record year for crossings.
But Downing Street said the number of Albanians making the crossing had fallen by 95% in the past three years, while the number returned to Albania had doubled between 2022 and 2024 following increased co-operation between the two countries.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Global challenges need shared solutions, and the work the UK and Albania is doing together is delivering security for working people in both countries."
This comes as the PM promised net migration will fall by the end of this parliament as he outlined a slew of immigration changes on Monday.
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Migrants have been told they need to spend a decade in the UK before they can apply for citizenship and English language requirements will be increased for all routes into the UK, as ministers look to bring down net migration which reached 728,000 last year.
Speaking from Downing Street on Monday morning, the Prime Minister said promised migration will fall as he warned Britain could become an "island of strangers" without greater restrictions.
After a spike in numbers in 2022, the UK and Albania struck a deal to work together to prevent people from making the journey, with both the current Labour Government and the previous Conservative administration providing money and expertise for Tirana.
Last year, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggested Sir Keir had also been “very interested” in a deal that has seen Italy send migrants to Albania for processing.
The measures expected to be announced on Thursday include support for efforts to ensure migrants remain in Albania after being returned home rather than attempting to enter the UK again – the so-called “revolving door effect”.
The UK will also donate two forgery detection machines to help Albanian police spot people trying to travel to the UK on stolen or fake passports.
During his visit to Albania, Sir Keir is expected to announce an expansion of the Joint Migration Task Force to include North Macedonia and Montenegro.
The task force, which currently includes the UK, Albania and Kosovo, shares intelligence and carries out operations against people smugglers in the Western Balkans.
Sir Keir said: “Every step we take to tackle illegal migration overseas, cripple the criminal networks that facilitate it and stem the finance streams that fund it is delivering safer streets in the UK, and reducing the strain on taxpayer funded services.
“But we cannot take this action alone, through closer partnerships and greater cooperation, we are creating real change with our partners across Europe and delivering on our Plan for Change.”
Sir Keir and Mr Rama are also expected to increase cooperation on tackling organised crime, including sharing DNA swabs of Albanian criminals and investing £1 million in upgrading Tirana’s forensics, biometrics and digital capability.
Following his meetings with Albanian leaders on Thursday, Sir Keir is expected to attend a summit of the European Political Community in Tirana on Friday to discuss both defence and migration.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said Sir Keir’s “entire visit is pure theatre”.
The senior Tory added: “The returns deal with Albania was decisive action taken by the previous Conservative government, resulting in a cut to small boat arrivals from Albania by over 90%.
“So why is Starmer now flying out for a handshake in Tirana to claim credit? If the scheme is already working, what exactly is this trip for?
“If Starmer is so serious about cracking down on illegal migration, he should never have scrapped the Rwanda deterrent before it even started.
“We have seen from Australia that offshore deterrents work. Yet under Labour, 2025 is already the worst year on record for Channel crossings, with over 12,000 crossings and rising.
“Labour is not serious about fixing immigration. Their immigration white flag is weak, spineless and completely out of touch with what the country demands.
“And just this week, they voted against Parliament setting an annual binding cap on migration and against disapplying the Human Rights Act for immigration matters. We need leadership with a backbone; Labour offers none.”
