UK’s new PM pledges $108m to Africa, Middle East to grip migration crisis ‘at source’

The newly elected British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Thursday (18 July) $108 million in funding for Africa and the Middle East to tackle illegal migration “at source”, as he seeks to “reset” the United Kingdom’s approach to deal with the problem.

Starmer has pledged $108 million to fund health and education initiatives abroad, as well as humanitarian support, to address the reasons people flee their homes in the first place, saying it is “a vital part of gripping the migration crisis”. While accusing the previous government of Rishi Sunak of a “dereliction of duty” by failing to fix the problem of illegal migration, the new PM also promised his government will “work with European partners to share intelligence data, expertise and put the gangs out of business”. Starmer was speaking at the 4th European Political Community (EPC) summit with tackling migration, the war in Ukraine and energy security high on the agenda.

The new PM noted that issues in some countries in Africa and the Middle East “echo at home [and] the effects play out on our streets,” adding that “in a dangerous world, we serve no one and solve nothing by turning inward.” In an apparent reference to the previous Conservative government’s Rwanda deportation scheme, which was scrapped by Labor after winning the election, Starmer stressed that his government’s policy does not involve “committing taxpayer money to gimmicks, but with practical solutions that are in line with international law.”