Rwanda vs. Albania: A Tale of Two Asylum Plans

Starmer: The King of Gifts and Hospitality?

Move over Santa - Sir Keir Starmer’s got this gift game locked down. Since becoming Labour leader in 2019, Starmer has raked in an eye-watering £107,145 in freebies, gifts, and hospitality. From Taylor Swift concert tickets to Arsenal VIP suites, Starmer has snagged almost 40 sets of tickets during his leadership.

To put this in perspective: Starmer’s gifts total more than two-and-a-half times the amount received by the next MP on the list, Commons Leader Lucy Powell, who’s sitting at a comparatively modest £40,289. Yes, you read that right—he’s gathered more gifts than the next five MPs combined.

And it’s not just Sir Keir. His wife’s no stranger to the high life either, accepting outfits from Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli. So, while Starmer battles Tories in Parliament, he’s also dominating the swag game. Maybe there's a new strategy here—who needs votes when you’ve got Taylor Swift tickets and Arsenal hospitality passes?

The Rwanda Plan? Major Calls It Un-British, While Labour Explores New Asylum options

Former Conservative Prime Minister Sir John Major hasn’t minced his words when it comes to the controversial Rwanda asylum plan, a policy once touted as the ultimate deterrent against Channel crossings. Major branded the scheme “un-Conservative and un-British”, criticising the previous government’s approach to immigration. For Major, the idea of sending migrants who arrive in the UK illegally to Rwanda was not only deeply flawed, but also a betrayal of British values.

Introduced to prevent people from making dangerous journeys across the Channel in small boats, the Rwanda plan was beset by legal challenges and, ultimately, scrapped by the new Labour government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Not a single migrant was ever sent to Rwanda. Major’s discontent reflects a broader frustration, in his suggestions that immigration has come to be regarded as an “ill”, pushing back against the idea that such schemes were ever a moral solution.

When challenged on whether the plan was a necessary deterrent, Major was quick to highlight its impracticality: "Are they seriously saying to me that somewhere in the backwoods of some North African country, they actually know what the British Parliament has legislated for?" His point was clear—the Rwanda plan was disconnected from the complex realities of global migration.

Interestingly, in one of his first acts as Prime Minister, Starmer scrapped the Rwanda deal, yet it appears the Labour government is quietly considering alternatives. Starmer recently met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to discuss Italy’s asylum deal with Albania. Under this agreement, migrants from Libya and Tunisia who arrive in Italy are sent to Albania, where their asylum claims are processed—a move that has led to a 60% reduction in boat crossings to Italy. Starmer, and even his predecessor Rishi Sunak, might envy that success.

So, what's the difference between Italy’s Albania deal and the now-defunct Rwanda plan? Ultimately, under the Rwanda scheme, migrants wouldn’t have been allowed to return to the UK, even if their asylum claims were approved. This critical distinction may help explain why Labour is exploring new options, even as it distances itself from what Major called a "conscionable" policy.