The UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has strongly criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s plan to establish “return hubs” in foreign countries for failed asylum seekers, describing it as a weak and ineffective alternative to the shelved Rwanda deportation scheme.

Badenoch’s remarks followed Starmer’s announcement during an official visit to Albania on Thursday, where he revealed that his government was in talks with several countries to explore the creation of return centres for individuals denied asylum in the UK.

She disclosed this in a post on X, responding to a Mail Online article about Starmer’s remarks.

“Starmer is making an effort, but this will NOT stop the boats. People will still try their luck knowing they can stay in Britain if granted asylum so it won’t get rid of asylum hotels in the UK,” she wrote.

“We left Labour a real deterrent. This is weaker than the Rwanda plan and won’t work,” she added.

The Rwanda policy announced in April 2022 by the UK government under the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was part of the Conservative Party’s immigration strategy to deter illegal crossings by sending some asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing and potential resettlement.

However, the controversial policy was eventually derailed by legal challenges and never implemented. But Starmer’s proposal is different, as it focuses on deporting individuals only after their asylum applications have been processed and rejected.

Speaking during a press conference in Albania, Starmer defended the initiative, saying, “We are in talks with a number of countries about return hubs. I view them as a really important innovation.

“What I’d like to do is add return hubs to the record number of returns and law enforcement arrangements already in place,” he added.

However, when asked which countries the UK is speaking to, Starmer declined to provide details, saying he was not yet in a position to reveal more.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, standing alongside Starmer during the press conference, ruled out hosting such a hub, citing a prior agreement with Italy.

“When we started this process with Italy, it was a one-off because of our special relationship,” Rama said, adding that Albania had rejected similar requests from other countries to remain “loyal to the marriage with Italy”.

The Labour government is under growing pressure to tackle irregular migration, particularly the increasing number of small boat crossings across the Channel.

Over 12,500 migrants have arrived via this route so far this year, according to UK Home Office data.