Yesterday, following the publication of Labour’s immigration white paper, Sir Keir Starmer tried to pull a rabbit out of the hat by announcing what he described as ‘return hubs’ for failed asylum seekers.
On a visit to Albania to discuss measures to crack down on organised crime and illegal immigration, Starmer said he was in talks with a number of countries about the idea and that he saw return hubs as ‘a really important innovation’.
It is hard to see Starmer’s ‘return hubs’ announcement as anything but an embarrassment
Unfortunately, he was left like a stage conjuror with a malfunctioning prop when his host – the Albanian PM, Edi Rama – immediately discounted the idea of Albania hosting any such project. It is hard to see the announcement as anything but an embarrassment.
Few will be surprised that Starmer is finding the question of asylum and immigration no less of a thorny issue than his Conservative predecessors.
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