Italian PM Giorgia Meloni told the UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that their bilateral talks at Downing Street today mark a new beginning in relations between Italy and the UK.
The two leaders held talks in London on Thursday focused on migration, defence and the war in Ukraine. The two governments share an interest in stopping migrants reaching their countries by boat.
Sunak’s administration is passing a bill through Parliament that will deny the right to asylum to anyone who arrives in the UK without permission. Meloni has led a crackdown on people-smugglers and on the Mediterranean rescue ships operated by charities.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared that Britain and Italy are “very aligned” in values as he Meloni. She told Sunak that “tackling traffickers and illegal migration is something that your government is doing very well.”
“It is a new beginning in relations between the two countries”, Meloni told Sunak before the bilateral meeting in London.
“I am very happy to be here,” she added. “I am convinced that we can do good work together.
“Thank you Giorgia welcome to London,” Sunak told her in Italian. He later thanked her in English, in front of cameras and photographers: “It is a great pleasure to have you here.”
