British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has revealed that the UK government is in discussions with several countries to establish "return hubs" aimed at expediting the deportation of failed asylum seekers.

Speaking during his official visit to Albania on Thursday, Starmer told GB News that these facilities would streamline the process of returning individuals whose asylum applications have been rejected after going through the UK's system.

"What we want to do and are having discussions of... is return hubs, which is where someone has been through the system in the UK, they need to be returned... and we'll do that, if we can, through return hubs," Starmer explained.

The initiative comes as the Labour government faces mounting pressure to address the increasing number of irregular migrants arriving in Britain, particularly those making perilous journeys across the English Channel in small boats. According to the UK's Home Office, more than 12,500 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year.

Starmer's visit to Albania is significant as the Balkan nation is a key country of origin for many migrants entering the UK. The visit primarily focused on strengthening migration cooperation and enhancing border enforcement measures between both countries.

Shift in Immigration Policy

Since taking office, Starmer's administration has made tackling illegal migration a cornerstone of its policy agenda. In July, Labour scrapped the controversial Conservative-era plan to deport undocumented migrants to Rwanda, but has subsequently introduced several tough new immigration measures.

These include restricting the number of overseas care workers, doubling the residency period required for migrants to qualify for settlement in the UK, and expanding powers to deport foreign criminals.

Political analysts view these policy announcements as part of Labour's strategy to reassure voters concerned about immigration, particularly following significant gains by the anti-immigrant Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, in recent local elections.

In its general election manifesto, Labour pledged to significantly reduce net migration, which stood at 728,000 in the 12 months leading up to June 2024. This figure followed a peak of 906,000 in 2023, substantially higher than the average of 200,000 observed throughout most of the 2010s.

While Starmer did not specify which countries might host these proposed "return hubs," he indicated that discussions are ongoing and further details would be announced in due course.