Sir Keir Starmer was warned his plan for return hubs for failed asylum seekers is “doomed to fail” after reports Britain will ask Kosovo to take small boat migrants. The western Balkan country is on a list of nine potential nations earmarked for Channel migrants to be sent after they have run out of options to appeal in the UK as part of efforts to crack down on illegal immigration.
Kosovo joins Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and several countries outside Europe that ministers want to approach. Vjosa Osmani, Kosovo’s president, has said that she would be “open” to talks over a potential deal.
The Government had hoped Albania would agree to host a hub, but its prime minister Edi Rama ruled out the move during Sir Keir Starmer’s visit earlier this month.
Tory shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “Keir Starmer laughably claimed he would smash the gangs, but all he’s done is scrap our deterrent before it started – a deterrent the National Crime Agency labelled as critical.
“As a result, since Labour took power over 37,000 illegal migrants have crossed the channel and 2025 so far has been the worst on record for illegal immigrants.
“The Prime Minister’s attempt to get Albania to act as a return hub was humiliatingly dismissed by the Albanian Prime Minister.
“Returns hubs will anyway not work as a deterrent because only illegal immigrants whose asylum claims fail get removed. The vast majority who illegally cross the channel have their asylum claims accepted, so would never be removed under the returns hub plan.
“Labour has only removed 5% of illegal immigrants crossing the channel since the election – no wonder illegal immigrants are flooding in under this failing Government.”
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson insisted that the UK must leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in order to get a grip on Channel crossings.
He said: “The Government’s plans are nothing new. This is a rehashed Rwanda and, just like the Tory plans, will fall at the first hurdle.
“Without leaving the ECHR this scheme is doomed to fail and will continue to be dogged by legal loopholes exploited by activist lawyers. Only a Reform government will leave the ECHR and get a proper grip on our borders.”
The Prime Minister, who scrapped the Tories’ Rwanda deportation plan, announced earlier this month that he has talked to countries about return hubs for failed asylum seekers as part of efforts to stop the small boats crisis.
Speaking at the European Political Community Summit in Tirana, Albania, he said: “I’ve had a number of discussions with all sorts of leaders here today, numerous discussions with numerous leaders, including discussions about return hubs.”
He added that such hubs were not “a silver bullet in and of themselves”, but would be “a very important additional tool in our armoury” combined with other measures to tackle smuggling gangs.
Sir Keir has pledged to crack down on smuggling gangs that bring people into the UK in small boats, including by targeting criminal networks overseas.
But 2025 is on course to be a record year for Channel crossings, with more than 12,000 people already making the dangerous journey from France.
