Keir Starmer has suggested he's open to an Albanian-style offshore asylum processing system similar to a deal agreed by Italy.

The PM said he was "interested" in the controversial scheme unveiled by the country's right-wing government last year. Italy hopes to process up to 36,000 asylum seekers, who are intercepted at sea, when centres open in Albania later this year. Under the deal, those whose claims are accepted will be admitted into Italy.

Asked whether he would consider an Albania scheme, the PM told reporters in Washington DC: "Let's see. It's early days. I'm interested in how that works, I think everybody else is. It's very, very early days."

Mr Starmer's comments came as he prepares to jet to Rome on Sunday for a one-to-one summit with the Italian leader Giorgia Meloni. The meeting will be the latest in Mr Starmer's diplomatic blitz in the two months since entering Downing Street after Labour's historic election landslide.

Ahead of the meeting with Italy's Prime Minister Ms Meloni, Mr Starmer said: "We'll be able to talk about irregular migration, and other things as well. It'll be a feature as it was a feature when I spoke to Chancellor Scholz; as it was a feature when I spoke to Emmanuel Macron."

The PM, who has made smashing the criminal gangs exploiting people making the dangerous Channel crossings a priority, added: "In Germany I was particularly concerned that a very large percentage of the boats' engines that are ending up being used for the Channel crossings are going through Germany. And I think that they should take further opportunities to seize them on their journey. Obviously with Macron it was very much about what to do on the northern coast of France.

"I've already had a preliminary discussion with Georgia Meloni about this, about how we can work together on irregular migration. She has of course got some strong ideas and I hope to discuss those with her. She and I have already discussed how we can improve joint operations, so that is something we will discuss."

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