Sir Keir Starmer will try to revive his failing attempts to crack down on illegal migration on Thursday as small boat crossings continue to surge. During a visit to Albania, the Prime Minister is hoping to beef up efforts with the country to tackle people smuggling gangs.
Sir Keir and his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama are expected to agree measures to clamp down on the vile trade. His 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 on 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.
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.
Sir Keir 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.
“And our joint work to deter, detect and return illegal migrants is further proof that intervening upstream to protect British shores and secure our borders is the right approach.”
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 led to Italy sending 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 trying 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 trip to the Albanian capital, the first official visit to Tirana by a British prime minister, 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 and Mr Rama are also expected to increase co-operation on tackling organised crime, including sharing DNA swabs of Albanian criminals and investing £1million in upgrading Tirana’s forensics, biometrics and digital capability.
The Prime Minister added: “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 co-operation, we are creating real change with our partners across Europe and delivering on our plan for change.”
Following his meetings with Albanian leaders, 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, Shadow Home Secretary, said: “This entire visit is pure theatre. 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.”