LONDON, Jan 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosts his Iraqi counterpart Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Tuesday for talks on trade, security and migration hailed by Baghdad as marking a “new era” for the countries’ ties.
The Iraqi prime minister’s visit to London, during which he will also meet King Charles III, comes more than 20 years after Britain took part in the US-led invasion of Iraq.
A “strategic partnership” to be signed during the trip would consolidate cooperation and be “one of the most important steps in relations between Iraq and the United Kingdom”, Sudani said during the flight from Baghdad.
The visit will see the start of talks on a returns agreement for Iraqi irregular migrants to the UK, Starmer’s Downing Street office said.
The leaders will also unveil a 12.3 billion pound ($15 billion) export package to boost opportunities for British businesses, it added.
Immigration, both irregular and regular, was a major issue in the UK’s July general election, which brought the premier’s Labour Party to power but also saw a breakthrough for Nigel Farage’s hard-right Reform UK party.
“Secure borders are a vital foundation of our plan for change, so I am also very pleased to get started on talks for a bespoke returns agreement between our countries,” Starmer said in a statement.
“The deal will help dismantle the people smugglers’ business model by sending the clear message that if you come here illegally, you cannot expect to stay.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, following a visit to Iraq and its autonomous Kurdistan region in November, said the two countries had struck a security agreement and other cooperation deals with Iraq to target people-smuggling gangs and strengthen its border security.
“Our world-first security agreement with Iraq is already showing its impact,” she said.
“By strengthening border security with our Border Security Command, enhancing intelligence-sharing, and providing additional funding to support Iraq’s law enforcement capabilities, we’re targeting people smuggling gangs where it hurts.”
Tuesday’s talks come as Sudani said his country was preparing for the end of the military presence in Iraq of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.
The US maintains about 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 more in Syria as part of the campaign to prevent resurgence of the Daesh jihadist group, also known as ISIS.
President Joe Biden’s administration has agreed with Iraq to end the coalition’s role there by September but stopped short of a complete withdrawal of the US forces, whose presence has been opposed by Iran-aligned armed groups in Iraq.
On trade, Starmer said the export package offered “huge opportunities for British businesses”, adding that it represented a “step-change in the trade and investment relationship between our two countries”.
Britain would be able to leverage “UK private sector expertise on water, energy, telecoms, and defence infrastructure to secure future investment projects and major opportunities for British business”, he said.
Swept to power in a landslide election victory in July, Starmer has had a bumpy first six months in power and is under pressure to kickstart growth and slash immigration.
An unpopular budget, a cut to winter heating payments for the elderly and accusations of hypocrisy over free gifts accepted by Starmer and some of his ministers has seen his party slip in opinion polls.
The number of irregular migrants arriving in Britain on small boats meanwhile soared to over 36,800 in 2024, according to official data.
At least 76 deaths were recorded in about 20 accidents last year, making it the deadliest year for migrants who are taking ever greater risks to evade Britain’s border control. — NNN-AGENCIES
