Sir Keir Starmer will use Italy’s success in cracking down on Mafia as a blueprint to beat small boat crisis
SIR Keir Starmer will use Italy’s success in cracking down on the Mafia as a blueprint to take on the people-smuggling mobs.
The PM will fly to Rome tomorrow and hold crunch talks on the small boats crisis with Italian leader Giorgia Meloni.
He will use the summit to announce he has appointed a boss to lead his new UK Border Security Command.
Believed to be a former military man, he will have the unenviable task of trying to get a grip of the Channel boats problem costing taxpayers billions of pounds a year.
A Labour source said: “Our Border Security Command will pursue illicit finance, dismantle supply chain networks and take down the crime bosses making millions out of small boat crossings.
“We know Italy has had great success tackling organised crime gangs, including the Mafia. And we want to learn from the work they have done at home and abroad, so we can take down the awful criminal smuggling mob blighting our waters.”
Italy has also slashed the number of illegal migrants landing on its shores in half in the past year.
It also sends thousands to reception centres in Albania to have their asylum claims looked at — a process known as offshoring.
Sir Keir is considering copying the model.
Speaking about the summit on his trip to the US, he said: “I’ve already had a preliminary discussion with Georgia Meloni about how we can work together on irregular migration. She has of course got some strong ideas and I hope to discuss those with her.
“She and I have already discussed how we can improve joint operations, so that is something we will discuss.”
Asked directly if he would consider sending migrants to other countries to be processed, he said: “I’m interested in how that works. I think everybody else is. It’s very, very early days.”
Sir Keir is under massive pressure to get a grip on the crisis after he tore up Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda plan on his first day in No 10.
Ms Meloni is one of the leading voices calling for Europe to take a tougher stance.
Germany will this week impose tougher border security checks and is considering stripping illegal migrants of most benefits.
Over 22,000 small boat migrants have arrived in the UK already this year.