UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced an £84 million (nearly $109 million) funding package for humanitarian and development projects in Africa and the Middle East to address the migration crisis.
Speaking at a press conference after the European Political Community summit in Oxfordshire, Starmer said on Thursday that “this funding is a vital part of gripping the migration crisis.”
“It shows how we’re going to do business on the world stage. We are facing up to the huge issues beyond our shoes.”
Starmer also emphasised his government’s commitment to supporting Ukraine in its more than two-year conflict with Russia.
We discussed once again our commitment to stand with Ukraine, a very important commitment made again today, including supporting their energy needs ahead of winter and cracking down on the ships that are helping Russia to evade sanctions.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of European security and the need for the UK to work closely with its European allies.
“We can only make progress on the issues that so many people care about, like illegal migration and national security, if we have the maturity and leadership to reach out a hand to our European friends.”
As part of the UK’s efforts to tackle illegal migration, Starmer announced an increased UK presence at Europol in The Hague.
We are going to work with our European partners to share intelligence, data, and expertise to put the gangs out of business.
Starmer accused the previous administration of wasting time and resources on the Rwanda scheme, calling it “a gimmick that didn’t work.” Under the policy, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers were to be moved to an East African country for processing, asylum, and resettlement.
“The proof is in the pudding – we’ve got record numbers this year. We can’t switch that in 24 hours, one week – two weeks ago today we were still knocking on doors asking people to vote for us.”
Calling the situation “a dereliction of duty” on the part of the previous government, he expressed pride in the results of the summit, which included a renewed commitment to European security and support for countries like Moldova.
It’s not just a good idea to work with our partners – it’s essential. I’m proud to leave this summit with stronger relationships across Europe.
