Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Thursday that she “fully accepts” the steps taken by her British counterpart Rishi Chung to fight illegal immigration.
The prime minister, who began a two-day official visit to London, met the UK head of government to “strengthen bilateral ties”.
“The fight against smugglers and illegal immigration is being done very well by both governments. I follow Sunak’s work and I completely agree with him,” Mr Meloni said before the start of a meeting in Downing Street.
Praising Britain’s anti-immigration measures, Meloni declared that the bilateral talks would mark a new beginning in relations between Italy and the United Kingdom.
The British government recently announced plans to change its law to speed up deportations of migrants and stem the flow of asylum claims. The idea has been heavily criticized by human rights NGOs.
By 2022, more than 45,000 migrants are expected to land on British territory, a 500% increase compared to the previous two years. London estimates this number will rise to at least 56,000 by 2023.
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