‘Return hubs' won't solve the Channel crisis
Sir Keir Starmer is a man who wishes to give the impression of a Damascene conversion. Having issued a series of thundering pronouncements on the costs of legal migration earlier in the week, the Prime Minister is now attempting to convince the public that he will be able to halt the illegal Channel crossings.
Whether he has a viable plan for doing so – or indeed has genuinely been swayed from his previous pro-migration stance – is another matter entirely. On today's evidence, there is little prospect of reining in a flow that has risen to a record pace under his premiership.
Speaking in Albania alongside his counterpart Edi Rama, Sir Keir announced that the UK was to seek arrangements with third countries for 'return hubs'. A natural conclusion from the venue, and from the two Italian migration detention centres already open in the country, was that Albania would be one of these partners.
Yet Mr Rama shot the idea down, stating that the relationship with Italy is a one-off. It was a strange piece of choreography; why make the announcement in Albania, if Albania is not set to be one of the countries involved?
As things stand, it is entirely unclear which countries, if any, the UK would partner with. Moreover, Sir Keir – having dismantled the Rwanda scheme the moment he took office, with what would appear to be an associated increase in the pull factor drawing migrants to Britain – now appears to be attempting to reintroduce the scheme in watered-down form.
The Rwanda scheme would have seen migrants arriving in the UK deported to claim asylum elsewhere, vastly reducing the attraction of illegal channel crossings. 'Return hubs', however, would just be a place to host failed asylum seekers attempting to frustrate their removal from Britain.
This would be an improvement on the status quo, but at best a marginal deterrent to those crossing the Channel. Successful applicants who made the journey would be permitted to stay. Given that in 2023 Britain had one of the highest asylum grant rates in the EU, and the relative dynamism of the British economy, the draw factor to migrants would still remain considerable, even if recent data suggests grant rates have dropped.
If Sir Keir genuinely wishes to smash the criminal gangs and end the Channel crisis, he should swallow his pride, and consider Rwanda-style deportations as the deterrent Britain needs.
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