Sir Keir Starmer is set to increase co-operation with Albania on tackling illegal immigration and organised crime on a visit to the country on Thursday in yet another attempt to get a grip of the agenda and tackle the threat posed by Reform UK.
In the first official visit to Tirana by a British prime minister, Sir Keir and his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama are expected to agree measures to clamp down on people smuggling, the next step in Sir Keir’s major overhaul of the British immigration system.
The visit comes in the same week that the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats passed 12,000 for the year, and just days after the prime minister laid out some of the toughest rules in recent history to crack down on immigration.
Labour was elected on a manifesto promise to “smash the gangs” smuggling people into the UK in small boats, but some 12,699 people have made the journey so far this year, putting 2025 on course to be a record year for crossings.
But Downing Street said the number of Albanians making the crossing had fallen by 95 per cent in the past three years, while the number returned to Albania had doubled between 2022 and 2024 following increased co-operation between the two countries.
Speaking to broadcasters in the Balkan country, the prime minister insisted he is “determined that we will retake control” of the UK’s borders after “the last government lost control”.
“That means that we have got to have a concerted effort to smash the gangs that are running this vile trade”, the prime minister said.
He added: “What we have done in our joint work with Albania is shown that by working with other countries, this morning we saw law enforcement from Albania alongside law enforcement from the UK, driven down those numbers.
“I want to see more of that. We are absolutely determined that we are going to clear up the mess that we have been left and make sure that we get the control we need of our borders.”
After a spike in numbers in 2022, the UK and Albania struck a deal to work together to prevent people from making the journey, with both the current Labour government and the previous Conservative administration providing money and expertise for Tirana.
Last year, Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni suggested Sir Keir had also been “very interested” in a deal that has seen Italy send migrants to Albania for processing.
It comes despite the Labour government scrapping the controversial Rwanda scheme just days after entering office. The scheme would have seen asylum seekers who arrived in the UK via irregular routes sent to the central African country.
While it was reported the government is looking at implementing a scheme to send migrants to Albania for processing, Downing Street sources insisted the reports were speculative.
The measures expected to be announced on Thursday include support for efforts to ensure migrants remain in Albania after being returned home rather than attempting to enter the UK again – the so-called “revolving door effect”.
The UK will also donate two forgery detection machines to help Albanian police spot people trying to travel to the UK on stolen or fake passports.
The latest developments come just days after the PM used a dramatic early morning press conference on Monday to unveil a new crackdown on net migration, insisting his plans were being unveiled “because they are the right thing to do”.
But the government has been accused of attempts to pander to Nigel Farage after Reform UK took nearly 700 seats at the local elections after a surge in the polls.
Among the measures announced earlier this week were a ban on the recruitment of care workers from overseas, increased English language requirements for immigrants and the tightening of access to skilled worker visas.
And during his visit to Albania, Sir Keir is expected to announce an expansion of the Joint Migration Task Force to include North Macedonia and Montenegro.
The task force, which currently includes the UK, Albania and Kosovo, shares intelligence and carries out operations against people smugglers in the Western Balkans.
Sir Keir and Mr Rama are also expected to increase cooperation on tackling organised crime, including sharing DNA swabs of Albanian criminals and investing £1 million in upgrading Tirana’s forensics, biometrics and digital capability.
“Every step we take to tackle illegal migration overseas, cripple the criminal networks that facilitate it and stem the finance streams that fund it is delivering safer streets in the UK, and reducing the strain on taxpayer funded services”, the PM added.
Following his meetings with Albanian leaders on Thursday, Sir Keir is expected to attend a summit of the European Political Community in Tirana on Friday to discuss both defence and migration.
But Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said Sir Keir’s “entire visit is pure theatre”.
The senior Tory continued: “The returns deal with Albania was decisive action taken by the previous Conservative government, resulting in a cut to small boat arrivals from Albania by over 90 per cent.
“So why is Starmer now flying out for a handshake in Tirana to claim credit? If the scheme is already working, what exactly is this trip for?
“If Starmer is so serious about cracking down on illegal migration, he should never have scrapped the Rwanda deterrent before it even started.”
He added: “Labour is not serious about fixing immigration. Their immigration white flag is weak, spineless and completely out of touch with what the country demands.”
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