00:00UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday announced plans for return hubs abroad for
00:05rejected asylum seekers, awaiting deportation.
00:08Speaking in Albania, Starmer said talks are underway with unnamed countries, calling the
00:13hubs an important innovation.
00:17He ruled out Albania as a host, as Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama called his country's
00:22similar deal with Italy a one-off.
00:26However, reports suggest the UK is considering other Western Balkan countries.
00:34Starmer linked the plan to UK-Albanian cooperation, which he said cut Albanian small boat arrivals
00:39significantly.
00:42The scheme is part of new plans to cut migration, though Starmer denied it's a reaction to the
00:47rise of the far-right party, Reform UK.
00:51Unlike the old conservative Rwanda plan for offshore processing, these hubs target those
00:56whose asylum claims have failed.
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