Britain must not copy Italy’s inhumane migrant deals | Letter

Tim Naor Hilton says we should start providing safe routes for asylum seekers to prevent people dying in the Channel

It would be disappointing and dangerous for the UK to take lessons from Italy’s far-right government (Starmer backs plans to explore Italian-style migration deals to limit crossings, 17 November). Agreements aimed at preventing people from reaching a safe country could put refugees at serious risk. Amnesty International says Italy is complicit in the torture of migrants and refugees through its deal with Libya, where appalling conditions and treatment in detention facilities are well known. This type of policy is about keeping people out, not keeping people safe.

Furthermore, Refugee Action research has found that most people travelling to the UK are people of colour from countries affected by British colonial rule and foreign policy. Their exclusion from seeking asylum in the UK through such deals is racial injustice in action.