UK in talks about payments to help stop migrant flows, The Times says

The UK government is believed to be in talks with Turkey, Vietnam and officials in the Kurdistan region of Iraq about possible payments to help slow the flow of migrants heading for Britain, the Times newspaper reported on Sunday.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters it was the right thing for Britain to dissuade people from leaving their home countries and making the journey which often involves perilous crossings of the Channel, the Times said.

Starmer told reporters travelling with him to a Group of 20 summit in Brazil that the government had plans to tackle criminal gangs involved in people smuggling.

"Anything else we can do to stop people leaving in the first place is the right thing," he was quoted as saying.

The Times said interior minister Yvette Cooper was understood to be in discussions with a number of governments, including those of Kurdistan, a semi-autonomous region of Iraq, Turkey and Vietnam, about cooperation and security agreements that could be concluded before the end of the year.

A spokesperson for Starmer in London declined to comment on the report.

Starmer had praised Italy's efforts to tackle illegal immigration during a visit to Rome in September, including its work to prevent migrants from starting their journeys.