Britain has embarked on a new era of co-operation with Europe at a summit where there was broad unity on a drive to protect borders against the “criminal empire” of migration gangs.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer made the comments at the European Political Community meeting at Blenheim Palace, as he welcomed continental leaders to Britain.
After eight years of turmoil caused by the Brexit vote to leave the EU, Britain appears to have been welcomed back into the European fold with the election of a new Labour government.
There’s been a game-changer now. You have a British Government that wants to actively talk about a closer relationship with Europe
Simon Harris,
Irish PM
Whitehall sources have disclosed that Mr Starmer’s uncompromising defence of the European Convention on Human Rights – something that the Conservatives threatened to leave – has already made relations “much easier”.
A “tête-à-tête” dinner with President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday evening will also be the setting for a discussion on a new structure to tackle illegal immigrants crossing the English Channel.
Criminal empire
Addressing the opening meeting in which more than 40 countries were represented, Mr Starmer described Europe’s illegal immigration as a crisis.
“A criminal empire is at work in every country represented here today, profiting off human misery and desperation, prepared to send infants, babies, pregnant mothers, innocent people to their deaths,” he said.
The summit was an opportunity to “set a new path on illegal migration” and “to say together ‘no more’” to people smugglers.
But he also recognised that Europe needed to address the “root causes” that drove migrants from their homes, including extreme poverty, conflict and climate change.
In order to tackle the immigration problem at source, Mr Starmer announced £84 million ($108) million for skills and education projects across the Middle East and Africa.
“This is a vital part of gripping the migration crisis,” he told a press conference. “It shows how we are going to do business on world stage.”
The immigration problem demonstrated that the “world’s problems echo at home” and that Britain or Europe “could solve nothing by turning inward”.
The announcement came on the day of a migrant drowning and the rescue of 71 others in one failed crossing in which the asylum seekers were repatriated to France.
Soft Rwanda
The UK small boat issue has become intensely political with 45,000 crossing in 2022 followed by about 30,000 last year.
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation scheme, which cost the taxpayer £270 million, was meant to act as a deterrent but was not introduced before he lost the election. The policy has since been dropped by Labour.
However, it is understood that Britain could be examining what observers call a “soft Rwanda” scheme, such as the one enacted between Italy and Albania.
Italy, which suffers some of the highest numbers of illegal migrants in Europe, has agreed with Albania on a scheme that will reportedly send 36,000 to a port north of the capital Tirana where migrant claims are processed. The majority so far have come from Bangladesh, Egypt, Ivory Coast and Tunisia.
Indications that this could evolve for Britain came after Mr Starmer held a meeting with the two countries’ prime ministers, Giorgia Meloni and Edi Rama.
There were also reports, denied by Labour, for an agreement for Britain to send back several small boat migrants in exchange for accepting some asylum seekers from Europe.
Royal welcome
The Italy-Albania meeting was among many that Mr Starmer held with Europe’s leaders who descended on Blenheim, outside Oxford.
British soft power diplomacy was to the fore as King Charles III hosted an hour-long reception for the leaders in the Baroque-style building where Winston Churchill was born and where his dynasty has held sway since the continental wars when the victorious commander John Churchill was made first Duke of Marlborough.
It is understood that the king recognised that the summit was “really important for the UK”, a source said, and that the monarch “personally has done a great deal on our relationships” with Europe.
Labour ‘game-changer’
The bonhomie was evident among the premiers, with even Hungary’s Viktor Orban warmly welcomed despite EU criticism of his recent trip to meet President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
The change in atmosphere was notably different from the inaugural EPC meeting in 2022 in the Czech Republic, a brainchild of President Macron in light of the Ukraine invasion when the former British leader Liz Truss was vague in her response on whether the Frenchman was “friend or foe”.
Ireland’s leader Simon Harris suggested that Mr Starmer’s election victory would be a “game-changer” for Britain’s relations with the EU in that he wanted a “closer relationship with Europe”.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s chief diplomat, said Brussels would discuss a new security and defence pact. “We welcome the new tone of the British government and we look forward to engaging with it,” he said.
Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, spoke of a “new chapter of co-operation” with Britain on migration and global threats.
Freewheeling chat
The summit was touted as “leaders only” event with few officials involved in talks where there were no country flags, with most of the discussion in English and around hexagonal tables.
It saw three working groups on migration, security and preserving democracy, including further strong signals of support for Ukraine with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also in attendance.
The EPC allowed Europe’s leaders to have “more freewheeling conversations”, a Whitehall source said, rather than the formality of other summits.
That talks led to such moments in the palace gardens in which the British, French, German and Ukrainian leaders discussed affairs unheard by officials.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Three trading apps to try
Sharad Nair recommends three investment apps for UAE residents:
- For beginners or people who want to start investing with limited capital, Mr Nair suggests eToro. “The low fees and low minimum balance requirements make the platform more accessible,” he says. “The user interface is straightforward to understand and operate, while its social element may help ease beginners into the idea of investing money by looking to a virtual community.”
- If you’re an experienced investor, and have $10,000 or more to invest, consider Saxo Bank. “Saxo Bank offers a more comprehensive trading platform with advanced features and insight for more experienced users. It offers a more personalised approach to opening and operating an account on their platform,” he says.
- Finally, StashAway could work for those who want a hands-off approach to their investing. “It removes one of the biggest challenges for novice traders: picking the securities in their portfolio,” Mr Nair says. “A goal-based approach or view towards investing can help motivate residents who may usually shy away from investment platforms.”
MO
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
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Pathaan
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BRIEF SCORES:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
About Tenderd
Started: May 2018
Founder: Arjun Mohan
Based: Dubai
Size: 23 employees
Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Spezia v Lazio (6pm), Juventus v Torino (9pm), Inter Milan v Bologna (7.45pm)
Sunday Verona v Cagliari (3.30pm), Parma v Benevento, AS Roma v Sassuolo, Udinese v Atalanta (all 6pm), Crotone v Napoli (9pm), Sampdoria v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Monday Fiorentina v Genoa (11.45pm)
