UK to work closely with European countries on halting migration by sea

GRANADA, Spain — Britain signed a raft of deals with several European countries on Thursday, so as to work more closely together to halt irregular migration by sea.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni came to the European Political Community summit determined to push migrant boat arrivals up the agenda.

The European Union is working on a law to better share responsibility for handling new arrivals, but Italy and former EU member Britain want action to halt the boats at the source.

In Granada, they agreed on the outline of a plan with several countries and bodies, including the European Commission, France, the Netherlands and Albania.

And alongside this, Sunak said Britain signed specific cooperation deals with Belgium, Serbia and Bulgaria to tackle migrant-smuggling gangs.

"Tackling illegal migration is a shared European challenge," Sunak told Agence France-Presse in an interview at the Granada summit.

An EU source shared with AFP an eight-point plan agreed at the summit.

Some ministers in Sunak's government have suggested that Britain may have to reject the European Convention on Human Rights in order to deport "illegal" small boat migrants.

But Sunak insisted that the plan could reduce regular arrivals without breaking Britain's treaties and refused to be drawn on leaving the human rights convention.

Like many nations across Europe, Britain has been wrestling with how to deal with the influx of migrants often fleeing war zones in the Middle East, Africa and Afghanistan.

In another development, the British government will try next week to persuade judges at the country's top court to overturn a ruling, which declared unlawful its divisive plan to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda.

In a blow to Sunak's government and his pledge to "stop the boats", London's Court of Appeal concluded in June the plan to send tens of thousands of migrants more than 6,400 kilometers to East Africa was not lawful, saying Rwanda could not be treated as a safe third country.

On Monday, government lawyers will argue in the Supreme Court that this ruling was wrong, while those representing migrants from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam and Sudan want the judges to conclude the plan itself is flawed.

Opponents said the Rwanda plan is immoral, expensive and simply will not work. These include human rights groups, lawmakers, including some Conservatives.

Even King Charles is reported by the media to have privately expressed reservations.

Polls show high immigration remains a major concern to voters, although conversely also suggest there is support for migrants filling labor shortages. What surveys do indicate is a clear majority think the government is handling the issue badly.

"If we reduce the amount of illegal immigration, I think people will back us at the next election," Brendan Clarke-Smith, a Conservative lawmaker, said.

Agencies Via Xinhua