British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday announced an £84 million (nearly $109 million) funding package for humanitarian and development projects in Africa and the Middle East to tackle the migration crisis.
Addressing a press conference after the European Political Community summit in Oxfordshire, Starmer said "this funding is a vital part of gripping the migration crisis."
"It shows how we're going to do business on the world stage. We are facing up to the huge issues beyond our shoes."
Starmer also emphasized his government's commitment to standing with Ukraine as the conflict with Russia for over two years.
"We discussed once again our commitment to stand with Ukraine, a very important commitment made again today, including supporting their energy needs ahead of winter and cracking down on the ships that are helping Russia to evade sanctions," he said.
Starmer highlighted the importance of European security and the need for the UK to work closely with its European allies.
"We can only make progress on the issues that so many people care about, like illegal migration and national security, if we have the maturity and leadership to reach out a hand to our European friends," he said.
As part of the UK’s efforts to combat illegal migration, Starmer announced an increase of the UK’s presence at Europol in The Hague.
"We are going to work with our European partners to share intelligence, data, and expertise to put the gangs out of business," Starmer added.
Rwanda scheme: 'Gimmick that didn't work'
During a Q&A session, Starmer criticized the previous government's handling of the small boats crisis, saying Labour is "inheriting a really bad problem from the government who has not addressed this." People flee war-torn countries and enter the UK in small boats for making an asylum claim.
"Nobody is saying it's easy, it is a test of government and it was a test of us as opposition," Starmer said.
He accused the previous administration of wasting time and resources on the Rwanda scheme, describing it as a "gimmick that didn't work." According to the policy, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers were to be relocated to the East African country for processing, asylum and resettlement.
"We've had a Home Office who has been dedicated to a gimmick that didn't work," the prime minister said.
"The proof is in the pudding – we've got record numbers this year. We can't switch that in 24 hours, one week – two weeks ago today we were still knocking on doors asking people to vote for us," Starmer said.
He described the situation as "a dereliction of duty" by the previous government.
Starmer concluded by expressing pride in the outcomes of the summit, which included reaffirmed commitments to European security and supporting countries such as Moldova. "It's not just a good idea to work with our partners – it's essential," he stressed.
"I’m proud to leave this summit with stronger relationships across Europe."
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