Starmer embrace of far-right Italian PM deeply disturbing
Sir Keir Starmer’s embrace of far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her authoritarian anti-migrant agenda is deeply disturbing, says the Scottish Greens justice spokesperson Maggie Chapman.
The comments follow a press conference in which Starmer praised the Italian PM’s plan to offshore asylum applications in Albania.
Ms Chapman said: “It is deeply disturbing to see a Labour Prime Minister sharing a stage with a far-right demagogue like Giorgia Meloni and praising policies that are every bit as horrific as anything the Tories came up with.
“Keir Starmer is meant to be a human rights lawyer, so why is he praising one of the most reactionary and authoritarian leaders in Europe?
“This past weekend eight people died trying to cross the channel. Nobody should have to die like that. Their lives were lost to a system that persecutes and punishes some of the world’s most marginalised people.
“Our focus must be on creating safe routes and supporting our fellow human beings, not on continuing with a hostile environment that thrives on cruelty and punishes vulnerability. We must end the era of dawn raids, forced deportations and arbitrary detention.
“With more people losing their lives needlessly, we must build a system based on compassion, empathy and solidarity rather than the calculated cruelty and hostility of Meloni.”