Sir Keir Starmer‘s plan for ‘return hubs’ to take migrants from the UK could be hijacked by Russian spies, the intelligence services have warned.
The Prime Minister is eyeing up deals with Balkan countries, and some in Africa, to house failed asylum seekers.
But MI6 have warned the Government that proximity to Russia opens up the scheme to infiltration by Kremlin agents.
Opening facilities and putting infrastructure into such places would put Britain within ‘a Russian sphere of influence’, The Times reported.
Despite this, Labour is still looking to strike deals with the likes of Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Sir Keir had hoped Albania would join the scheme but was left embarrassed earlier this month when he travelled there, only to be rebuffed by PM Edi Rama.
A Government source told the newspaper: ‘You’d be planting a prime bit of British interest, British real estate, right into an area where Russia has the ability to control and influence much more than other areas in the world.
‘The security view was that it was not sensible or viable. It was based on the evidence that we’ve seen Russia being willing to use migration as a vehicle to exploit.’
MI6 have warned the Government that proximity to Russia opens up the scheme to infiltration by Kremlin agents
The Prime Minister is eyeing up deals with Balkan countries, and some in Africa, to house failed asylum seekers
The Foreign Office said it would not provide a ‘running commentary’ on the plans and declined to comment further.
British spies are said to be alarmed by growing Russian influence across the western Balkans, warning that the region’s deep ties to Moscow pose a significant risk to UK interests.
All six western Balkan nations—once part of communist Yugoslavia—are seen as vulnerable to Kremlin interference, according to a senior security source.
The source explained that Russia has countless levers it can pull, whether it’s through cyber attacks, bribery, embedding allies in government, or pushing propaganda to shift public thinking, Moscow knows how to destabilise.
They went on to say there’s a serious threat from organised criminal groups tied to Russia, and real questions about whether the region’s police forces can cope.
MI6 is particularly concerned about Serbia, where President Aleksandar Vucic has built close ties with Vladimir Putin.
He’s visited Moscow several times in the past year, most recently appearing alongside the Russian president at the Victory Day parade.
A packed dinghy full of migrants seen on the English Channel approaching the UK
Officials have also raised alarms over Serbia’s visa-free access for Russian citizens, and reports that arms shipments have passed through the country unimpeded.
Despite the warnings, Britain has begun informal talks about migrant return deals with several Balkan countries, including Kosovo.
Kosovan President Vjosa Osmani has said her country is ‘open to discussions’ about taking failed UK asylum seekers.
But legal experts say the plan is fraught with challenges.
Several European countries still refuse to recognise Kosovo as independent, and it is not a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, making any agreement legally and diplomatically complicated.
