- Keir Starmer’s Warning of “Axis of Instability”
- Focus on Border Protection as an “Urgent Security Concern”
- Labour’s Stance on EU Migrants and Returns Agreement
His warning follows Labour’s confirmation that it could accept a quota of EU migrants under a returns agreement it aims to reach with the bloc if it wins the election.
This weekend in Canada, Sir Keir Starmer will warn of an “axis of instability” confronting the West.
The leader of the Labour Party is expected to identify people smuggling, terrorism, climate change, and the erosion of democracy as the four greatest threats confronting Western nations.
He may also call border security a “urgent security concern.”
Sir Keir is in Montreal for a summit of “progressive” politicians, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Norwegian Prime Minister Gahr Store, and former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Sir Keir stated, before the summit, that one of the most pressing security concerns in the United Kingdom is border control.
The British government has abandoned the principle of selecting who comes to our borders in favour of criminal organisation that put individuals on boats to cross the English Channel.
This is the specific challenge we face, which is why I’m outlining how we will collaborate with international partners to dismantle these gangs, restore order to our frontiers, and take a pragmatic approach – ditch the gimmicks and the rhetoric and find a solution.
Sir Keir is accompanied at the summit by shadow foreign secretary David Lammy, the latest in a series of appearances he is making on the international stage.
It also precedes an anticipated meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron next week in Paris.
The rash of public appearances has been interpreted as an attempt to appear statesmanlike and bolster his credentials as a leader in advance of a likely general election next year.
However, Downing Street has appeared to minimize the significance of the anticipated journey to Paris by describing it as “not unusual.”
It follows Labour’s confirmation that it could accept a quota of EU migrants under a returns agreement it aims to reach with the bloc if it comes to power.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, shadow minister for the Cabinet Office, stated that the goal was to secure a returns agreement to establish “management and control of the system” while accusing the Conservatives of “losing control of our borders.”
Sir Keir and Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, met with European officials in The Hague as the party unveiled plans to treat smuggling gangs “on par” with terrorists.
However, the possibility of a returns agreement sparked controversy, with Tory Party chairman Greg Hands accusing Labour of having a “shocking open-door immigration policy.”
The EU is presently working on a new return agreement that would require each member state to accept a minimum annual quota of 30,000 migrants or pay €20,000 (£17,200) for each individual they reject.
Matt Wrack, the president of the Trades Union Congress, said that Sir Keir “ran the risk of pandering to right-wing Tory rhetoric” on immigration.
