Far-right Italian PM and Musk fan Giorgia Meloni says she is ‘in tune’ with Keir Starmer
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Giorgia Meloni, known for her hardline views on immigration, came to power in October 2022. Italy’s far-right prime minister has spoken out about her similarities with Sir Keir Starmer, saying the pair are “in tune” on “the fight against mass illegal immigration”.
![[Meloni spoken of warm relations between her and the UK prime minister following their meeting in September.]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/10/11/15/Britain_Labour_100_Days__30148.jpg)
Giorgia Meloni, known for her hardline views on immigration, sparked concern across Europe as her coalition government came to power in October 2022. But after meeting the UK prime minister in September, it seems the pair have struck up good relations.
![[Meloni detailed her friendship with owner of social media site X and fellow right-winger Elon Musk.]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/09/25/17/MixCollage-25-Sep-2024-12-26-PM-1984.jpg)
In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, she said relations between herself and Starmer were “very well”, adding: “We are in tune on many issues. I am thinking, for example, of the management of migratory flows and the fight against mass illegal immigration, because it is a phenomenon that affects the entire European continent, even outside the EU borders.”.
Last year, Meloni backed a £556m deal to transport 3,000 people intercepted in Italian seas each month to Albania - but the plan has not been successful so far due to legal problems. Starmer faced criticism in September after he said that the UK would send Italy £4m to support the Italian PM’s immigration crackdown.
Meloni added: “We agree with Starmer that we need to intensify the fight against traffickers, work on greater cooperation between our police forces, strengthen the commitment to assisted voluntary repatriations and not be afraid to explore innovative solutions, such as the one that Italy has started with the protocol with Albania to process asylum requests in non-EU territory, but under Italian and European jurisdiction.”.
