UK eyes overseas ‘return hubs’ for rejected asylum seekers —PM Starmer

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced plans to initiate talks with foreign governments about creating “return hubs” to process and repatriate asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected in Britain.

Speaking during an official visit to Albania, Starmer told GB News that the proposed hubs would be part of a broader strategy to streamline the removal of failed asylum claimants.

“What now we want to do and are having discussions of… is return hubs, which is where someone has been through the system in the UK, they need to be returned… and we’ll do that, if we can, through return hubs,” Starmer said during the televised interview.

The move comes as the Labour-led government faces mounting pressure to reduce irregular migration, especially via dangerous small boat crossings across the English Channel. The surge in arrivals has been a key talking point for the right-wing Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, which has seen a recent boost in local election results by focusing on anti-immigration rhetoric.

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In response to growing political and public concerns, Starmer has pivoted towards stricter immigration measures, distancing his administration from previous Labour policies. During his two-day trip to Albania—a country from which many recent migrants have originated—Starmer made immigration enforcement a central theme.

Earlier this week, he unveiled a series of hardline reforms, including curbing the number of foreign care workers, doubling the time required for migrants to be eligible for settlement, and granting expanded powers to deport foreign nationals convicted of crimes.

These proposals mark a significant shift in Labour’s tone on immigration. Last year, the party pledged in its general election manifesto to dramatically cut net migration, which stood at 728,000 in the 12 months to June. That number followed a record high of 906,000 in 2023, a sharp increase from the average of 200,000 per year throughout the 2010s.

Meanwhile, the UK continues to experience a rise in irregular migration. According to tally based on Home Office data, over 12,500 migrants have made the dangerous Channel crossing so far this year.

Starmer’s administration formally scrapped the controversial Rwanda deportation scheme, introduced under the previous Conservative government, last July, signalling a move toward alternative strategies like the proposed return hubs.

The effectiveness and legality of these return hubs, as well as the willingness of foreign nations to cooperate, remain key questions as the UK grapples with its migration challenges.

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