Keir Starmer to beg nine countries to take migrants as Labour’s immigration chaos continue

The UK government is trying to find a new way to deal with the growing number of migrants who arrive in small boats and later have their asylum applications rejected. They are working on a plan to send these people to other countries instead of letting them stay in the UK.

The idea is to create “return hubs” in certain countries, where these migrants can be housed while their cases are handled. The government has come up with a list of nine possible countries that could be part of this plan.

Some of these countries are in Europe, like Kosovo, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, while others are outside Europe. But so far, none of these countries have officially agreed to anything, and no real talks have started yet.

This plan comes as Labour, under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, is trying to show they are serious about handling the migration issue.

The number of asylum seekers applying to stay in the UK has reached a record high. Between March 2024 and March 2025, over 109,000 people applied for asylum. That’s 17 percent more than the year before. Many of these people come to the UK by crossing the Channel in small boats, which is risky and dangerous.

The government hopes to move forward with this return hub idea before leaders from the western Balkan countries visit London for an important meeting later this year. But getting those countries to agree hasn’t been easy.

One embarrassing moment happened when Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama made it clear that Albania would not take part in the UK’s return hub plan. This was a surprise to many, especially since some people had assumed Albania was being considered. Rama said Albania is already working with Italy on a different migration agreement and will stay loyal to that deal.

There might still be a chance for the plan to work in other places. The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, said her country hasn’t been officially asked to join the plan, but she would be willing to talk about it. However, she also said she doesn’t know enough details yet to make any promises.

Keir Starmer admitted that the return hubs won’t fix everything, but he believes they are an important step in the right direction. He said they can help stop the criminal gangs that smuggle people into the country and take advantage of desperate migrants. Recently, he also met with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, but it’s unclear if they discussed this plan during their meeting.

During a political summit in Albania, Starmer told reporters that he had spoken to many leaders about this issue. He didn’t give any specific names or details, but he said conversations about return hubs were ongoing.

At the same time, more than 12,000 people have already crossed the Channel to the UK this year alone. That means 2025 could become the worst year yet for illegal small boat crossings. Even though the government is working on new ways to reduce the number of arrivals, many officials don’t think these changes will stop the problem anytime soon. Still, Starmer hopes that by showing the UK is taking action, fewer people will risk the dangerous journey across the water. He wants the return hub idea to send a clear message: coming to the UK illegally will not guarantee a new life.