United Kingdom: The UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has announced £84 million in funding to help African and Middle Eastern countries address the migration crisis at “its source.”
According to the government, the increased money for job possibilities, education, and humanitarian relief would help address the issues that cause people to flee their homes.
Addressing the European Political Community (EPC) at its fourth summit, which the UK hosted at Oxfordshire’s Blenheim Palace, Sir Keir concurred with French President Emmanuel Macron that there was “no easy silver bullet” to prevent tiny boats from navigating the English Channel.
However, the PM stated that “practical solutions” rather than “gimmicks” were what he wished to emphasise.
The EPC is a more casual venue for collaboration that consists of 20 non-member nations like the UK in addition to the 27 members of the European Union.
The issue of illegal immigration and support for Ukraine have been the main topics of discussion during the summit. At a press conference, Sir Keir expressed his desire to reorient the UK’s policy toward illegal immigration and strengthen border security and defence cooperation with Europe.
The prime minister stated that combating illegal immigration required going “upstream” and that there was a “consensus” at the meeting over the necessity to eliminate smuggling networks.
To combat organised crime, the UK has committed to new measures with Slovakia and Slovenia.
In the meanwhile, the Foreign Office said that £84 million in funds would be allocated over the following three years to address the issues that push people into tiny boats.
Funding will go toward initiatives that will assist Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon in obtaining employment and education, as well as supporting migrants in North and East Africa to bridge skills gaps in their new countries and provide humanitarian relief to displaced individuals in war-torn Sudan.
One of the main issues the new government is dealing with is stopping individuals from crossing the Channel in small boats. The Conservative idea to deport some illegal immigrants to Rwanda has been shelved by Sir Keir, who called it a “expensive gimmick.”
Legal difficulties caused the plan to stall, and before the general election, no migrants were transferred to the East African nation as part of the plan.
The previous government, according to Sir Keir, had “dereliction of duty” when it came to migration and was wasting time on the Rwanda program.
The prime minister stated that although the new government would not be able to reverse the record number of small boat arrivals over night, a “serious response” was what he was pursuing.
As the Conservatives had intimated, Sir Keir also attempted to emphasize his “profound respect” for international law and to reiterate that the UK would not be exiting the European Convention on Human Rights under his leadership.
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