UK’s Sunak plans deal with Italy on Mediterranean migrants

Adds details from Telegraph and background, paragraphs 2-8

June 30 (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is planning a deal with Italy to stem the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean and return them to North Africa, the Telegraph reported .

Sunak had sent Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service Simon Case to Italy in mid-June for two days of meetings with top Italian government officials to work on a deal, the newspaper reported. A government source familiar with the matter confirmed to Reuters that Case was in Italy, without providing any additional details.

The Telegraph reported that Britain is also supporting efforts by Italy to negotiate an Albanian-style returns agreement with Tunisia, the main source of migrants crossing the Mediterranean, on top of an EU-backed £860 million aid package to help the north African country to stem the flow of arrivals.

It comes amid growing concerns at a near-trebling to more than 62,000 in the number of migrants reaching Italy across the Mediterranean so far this year, up from 24,808 at the same point last year.

“If we are going to be successful in tackling illegal migration we have got to deal with the issue at source as well as focus on small boats,” the Telegraph quoted a government source as saying.

Sunak’s office and the Italian government did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The UK and Italy had signed a Memorandum of Understanding in April to tackle illegal migration under “Strategic Migration Partnership.”

Britain had a record 45,000 people coming to the country in small boats across the Channel last year, mainly from France, according to government figures. More than 11,000 have arrived so far this year, according to the government.

Sunak of the Conservative Party has made stopping boat arrivals one of his top five priorities. He has been criticised by some members of his own party and the public for not moving quickly enough to crack down on irregular migration.

The deal follows a meeting between Mr Sunak and Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s Right-wing leader, in No 10 in April where they agreed the two countries needed to prioritise collaboration in tackling illegal migration in the form of the new “strategic migration partnership”.

Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, followed up with talks with Italian ministers as part of a five-day tour of North Africa and Europe in early June before Sir Matthew Rycroft, the Home Office’s top civil servant, also travelled to Italy.

Mr Case, the Cabinet Secretary, spent two days in Italy on June 15 and 16 meeting with Alfredo Mantovano, his counterpart in Meloni’s government, the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees, and other senior officials dealing with migration.