How might PM's migrant 'return hubs' even work?

Britain has opened talks about sending failed asylum seekers to detention centres abroad, Keir Starmer has confirmed during a trip to Albania. The prime minister said he wanted to send migrants to return hubs” overseas once they had exhausted all avenues of appeal.

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He did not specify which countries were engaged in discussions, but Edi Rama, the Albanian prime minister, made it clear that Albania was not one of them: “I have said from the outset, it is a model takes its time to be tested and if it works it can be replicated – not in Albania but other countries in the region.”

He added: “To be very frank with you, we have been asked by many countries but we said no, as we are loyal to our marriage with Italy.” The Italian government has paid €600m (£505m) for two detention centres in Albania, although so far only 40 failed asylum seekers have been sent to them because the scheme has been beset by legal challenges.

So where might British ‘return hubs’ be?

As Rama suggested, other countries in the Balkans have been mooted as possible partners, including Serbia, Bosnia and North Macedonia.

Places further afield have been suggested, although the only country known to be in negotiation about opening a return hub is Uganda, which is in discussion with the Netherlands. As the British government is said to be keen to work with other European countries in dealing with asylum, it will be watching to see whether anything comes of those talks.