Latest news with #Kosovo
Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Times
Migrant return hubs could be hijacked by Russian spies
Sir Keir Starmer is pressing ahead with plans to deport migrants to 'return hubs' in the western Balkans despite an MI6 warning that they could be hijacked by Russian spies. Security advice from the intelligence service says the region is unsafe for migrant deportation schemes because of its proximity to Russia, government sources have told The Times. The advice privately warned that the proposals would mean creating sensitive national infrastructure and facilities in 'a Russian sphere of influence' that could be infiltrated and targeted by agents working on behalf of the Kremlin. Migrants sent to the region could also be targeted and exploited by President Putin's regime, the advice warned. This month the prime minister confirmed revelations by The Times that the government was in talks with 'a number of countries' about return hubs, which he described as 'a really important innovation'. Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are on a shortlist of about nine countries drawn up by ministers and officials as potential destinations to which rejected asylum seekers would be sent after all avenues of appeal have been exhausted in the UK. Record numbers of migrants are crossing the Channel in small boats to reach Britain SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Albania had also been on the list but was ruled out by Edi Rama, its prime minister, this month. A plan for offshore migrant hubs in the Balkans was blocked in light of MI6 concerns when the previous Conservative government drew up a shortlist of countries for a Rwanda-style deportation scheme in 2022. The list included Albania and Moldova, according to a government official who worked on the proposals. Separate security sources have said that the same concerns have been raised in response to Starmer's efforts to open return hubs in the region. A government source who was briefed by security officials warning against the Balkans region said: 'The advice we got was you'd be sending people into a Russian sphere of interest. 'They cited critical UK national infrastructure, facilities and systems that would be set up that could be infiltrated by the Russians by installing agents and other personnel working in the interest of the Kremlin. 'You'd be planting a prime bit of British interest, British real estate, right into an area where Russia has the ability to control and influence much more than other areas in the world. 'The security view was that was not sensible or viable. 'It was based on the evidence that we've seen Russia being willing to use migration as a vehicle to exploit. 'Putting a massive processing site for immigration claims right next to a hostile state was not deemed sensible from a security perspective.' MI6 is said to be concerned over plans relating to all of the western Balkan nations, according to a security source who pointed out that they are all former states of the communist Yugoslavia regime. 'The concerns are at different stages. Serbia is the worst, some of them are more of a threat than others,' the source said. 'This is the former Yugoslavia — the Russian links are pretty clear. 'There are hundreds of ways that Russia can influence these governments, whether it be digitally, physically, levels of corruption, live proxies by installing pro-Russian figures in governments or inadvertently influencing people to take a Russian frame of mind. 'Russia also uses organised gangs and there is a question about the capacity for these countries' law and order to handle those threats.' They pointed out that President Vucic of Serbia is a close ally of Putin who has visited Moscow several times in the past year, most recently when he attended Russia's Victory Day parade in Red Square. Presidents Vucic and Putin at the Kremlin in 2018 MIKHAIL SVETLOV/GETTY IMAGES Another reason cited by security officials were rules allowing Russian citizens and passport holders to move freely in and out of Serbia, as well as reports of Russian arms being allowed to move freely through the country. Britain began informal talks over return hubs with several countries, including Kosovo, this week. President Osmani of Kosovo has said her country would be 'open' to talks over a potential deal to take Britain's failed asylum seekers. However, experts have warned about the legal hurdles given that several European countries do not recognise the nation's independence and because it is not a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Downing Street is understood to have set a target to announce return hub destinations by the time Britain hosts a meeting of western Balkan leaders in London in the autumn, where illegal migration will be top of the agenda. However, there is increasing frustration at the centre of government over the lack of progress made by the Home Office on what form it wants return hubs to take.
The Sun
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Kosovo is ‘open' to becoming return hub for failed UK asylum seekers as President welcomes talks
KOSOVO is 'open' to becoming a return hub for failed UK asylum seekers. President Vjosa Osmani said her country would welcome discussions. 2 The western Balkan nation is being considered under plans to deport those who have failed in their efforts to stay in the UK. Other options in the region — a principal route for illegal migrants — are said to include Serbia, North Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. No formal talks have yet taken place. It follows Albania's rejection of the return hub scheme. PM Sir Keir Starmer, who has vowed action on immigration, was snubbed by PM Edi Rama. Sir Keir claims it is not the same as the Tories' plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda in East Africa, a scheme Labour ditched on taking office. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said Albania's dismissal of return hubs was 'humiliating' for the PM. He said the idea would not act as a deterrent as only illegal immigrants whose asylum claims fail get removed. He said: 'The asylum claims of a vast majority who illegally cross the Channel are accepted.' A record 13,573 small boat migrants have reached the UK so far this year. EXCLUSIVE: Starmer's direct threat to smuggling gangs and how he'll stop the small boats 2
Forbes
7 days ago
- Politics
- Forbes
U.K. Expected To Ask Kosovo For Deal On Migration Deportation Hubs
The United Kingdom government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer is reportedly considering asking Kosovo to enter into an agreement for a so-called migration 'return hub' scheme, wherein failed asylum seekers would be deported from the former, to a reception center in the latter. Kosovo is understood to be on a list of nine countries, several of which are in the Balkans, the U.K. is considering for such a scheme, after Albania definitively ruled it out. According to the U.K.'s Times newspaper, the U.K. is due to ask Kosovo, a small landlocked country which is currently a potential candidate for EU member status, to enter discussions over a return hubs arrangement. This news will take nobody who has been watching developments in the U.K. by surprise. Since coming to power in mid-2024, the government under Starmer and his Labour party have pursued various strategies to try to reduce overall migration to the United Kingdom, including ramped-up policing powers in the English channel, and a concerted effort to increase deportations. In late 2024, Starmer visited Italy to discuss migration with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni. While there, he praised Italy's controversial 'offshoring' arrangement with Albania, which has been beset by legal challenge since it began operations. In May 2025, Starmer also visited Albania itself, where he reaffirmed his intention to open up a similar scheme, though Albania has said it will not consider a deal with the U.K. Despite their efforts to 'crack down' on irregular migration to the country, Starmer and his Labour party remain in a difficult position over the issue, as more stridently anti-immigration parties such as Reform UK make considerable electoral gains. The Labour party has done its best to win back voters from Reform, or stop them leaving, by presenting a 'tough' stance on migration and thereby being seen to address the concerns of voters. This strategy has come in for considerable criticism, both from NGOs and civil society groups, who have decried what they say is anti-immigrant rhetoric from the government, as well as from those same right-wing parties such as Reform and the Conservatives, who say the government is not doing enough on the issue. The 'return hubs' idea is by no means unique in Europe. Alongside Italy, with its existing scheme, several other European nations are known to be exploring their own arrangements, with some German lawmakers from the now-ruling CDU bloc particularly vocal about it. The European Union's executive arm has introduced measures to lay the groundwork for such schemes, and also introduced measures to strip protections for people under deportation orders. Return hubs such as the one the U.K. is pursuing are attractive to lawmakers for several reasons. There is the blunt effect of forcibly removing people from their territories, thereby giving politicians a concrete metric for showing they are acting on the matter. At the same time, such schemes are also argued to have a 'deterrence' effect, meaning that it's hoped people might be dissuaded from attempting the perilous journey to the U.K., for instance, if they think they will just mean they get sent elsewhere again. Critics of such schemes argue that they are both inhumane and impractical. Migration commentators in the U.K. point out there is little empirical evidence for a deterrence effect, and that with the current state of the country's asylum system, it is very likely people will be deported who otherwise would have been granted shelter, with very little chance of redress once physically removed from U.K. jurisdiction.
Sky News
7 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
UK to open talks with Kosovo about hosting 'return hub' for failed asylum seekers
Kosovo will be one of the countries asked to take failed asylum seekers from the UK as part of the government's plan for "return hubs" abroad, according to reports. The Western Balkan country is on a list of nine countries drawn up by the government of potential places to deport illegal migrants who have exhausted all avenues of appeal for asylum in the UK, according to The Times newspaper. The report comes after the president of Kosovo revealed to Sky News that they would be "open to discussing it", but there had been "no formal talks" so far. The Tories say that return hubs will "not work as a deterrent", and the "vast majority who illegally cross the [English] Channel have their asylum claims accepted, so would never be removed under the return hubs plan". They would be for processing failed asylum seekers prior to their eventual deportation, wherever that might be. 1:30 Downing Street said they would be for people "who have exhausted all legal routes to remain in the UK", but who may be employing tactics to delay their removal - like "losing their paperwork". The hubs would effectively buy time to return or deport illegal migrants without the government having to house them in Britain in the meantime, such as in the asylum hotels, which the government has promised to close. The prime minister described the hubs as a "really important innovation" that complements other measures the government is taking to crack down on criminal smuggling gangs and stop small boat crossings. He refused to reveal which countries the government is in talks with, but he was left slightly red-faced after the Albanian prime minister publicly slapped down the idea of a UK return hub in his country, saying their agreement with Italy was a "one-off" deal for a key ally. 1:30 But speaking exclusively to Sky's Tamara Cohen, the president of Kosovo said her government is open to the idea. Vjosa Osmani said: "There's been no formal talks with the UK on this issue. It hasn't been raised so far. "We would be open to discussing it, however I can't say more than that because I don't know the details. I cannot give an answer on a request that hasn't been made so far." Ms Osmani called the UK a "steadfast ally". UK-supplied technology is being used in Kosovo to stop illicit goods and vulnerable people from reaching British shores. Nearly 22,000 people used the Western Balkans to enter Europe last year, the Foreign Office said earlier this year. There are six countries in the Western Balkans which are seen as central to UK efforts to tackling illegal migration. Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro are the others, alongside Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia. The Times reports that countries outside Europe are on a shortlist to be approached for talks about return hubs. The plan is part of the broader government efforts to stop small boat crossings. Over 12,000 people have crossed the Channel illegally on small boats so far this year, with 2025 on course to a record year for crossings, which will cause a major headache for Labour after being elected on a manifesto promise to "smash the gangs". Chris Philp, shadow home secretary, said in response to the report: "The prime minister's attempt to get Albania to act as a return hub was humiliatingly dismissed by the Albanian prime minister. "Return 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 return hubs plan."
The Independent
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
UK draws up list of nine countries for migrant ‘return hubs' plan
The UK is considering Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and other countries as potential locations for offshore "return hubs" for failed asylum seekers. These hubs would house asylum seekers who have exhausted their appeals process before being deported back to their home countries. While Kosovo 's president expressed openness to discussions, no formal talks have occurred yet. North Macedonia also confirmed not being formally approached. The UK aims to initiate discussions before a Western Balkans leaders' meeting in London this autumn. The Western Balkans region saw nearly 22,000 irregular migrant crossings into Europe last year, prompting concerns about migration routes and organized crime.
