KEIR Starmer and Giorgia Meloni are planning to make Europol focus on tackling illegal migration, according to reports.
According to The Telegraph, the Italian Prime Minister proposed to fully recognise Europe’s police force to tackle illegal migration, including people smugglers, at a meeting with her UK counterpart last month .
Starmer, meanwhile, is understood to have supported the proposal and suggested UK officers conduct joint missions with Europol.
After Brexit, the UK is no longer a member of Europol but a partnership is in place – Including a number of officers from the UK’s National Crime Agency seconded to the agency.
It comes after far-right riots broke out across England and Northern Ireland, sparked by a stabbing in Southport which led to the deaths of three young girls.
A Downing Street spokesperson told The Telegraph that the Prime Minister had no plans to give a speech addressing immigration but warned against conflating the rioting and “legitimate concerns” about the issue.
They said: “The Prime Minister spoke last week to agree that there are legitimate concerns about immigration, and that’s why we’re taking the action that we are to tackle the gangs responsible for those.
“But again, it’s really important not to conflate these issues and provide legitimacy to people when there is absolutely no excuse or world where that could be described as legitimate protest.”
A spokesperson for the Home Secretary, meanwhile, said: “Criminal gangs are undermining our border security and putting lives at risk as we saw in the Channel again tragically this week.
“An entire criminal industry has been allowed to take hold both along our border and through sophisticated criminal networks across Europe and beyond. It is appalling that for so long they have just been able to get away with it.
“We are determined to launch major new operations to pursue the gangs, the boats and the money.”
