Migration bombshell as Keir Starmer plan dealt blow by MI6

proposed by Sir Keir Starmer as an antidote to the ongoing illegal Channel boat crossing crisis, MI6 has warned. Spooks have said deporting migrants to the centres in regions like the western Balkans could be unsafe because of geographical and political proximity to Russia.

Security sources have strongly advised the Government British infrastructure placed in the region which is under a "Russian sphere of influence" could be infiltrated and targeted by Kremlin agents, according to The briefing also said migrants themselves could be exploited by spies working for Putin.

are in talks with a "number of countries" in the region where some nations have close historical links to Moscow. A minister told the Times creating the hubs as a way to combat the illegal migrant crisis was a "really important innovation".

The paper reports Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are on a shortlist of nine nations where rejected asylum seekers could be relocated once all legal appeals have been exhausted in the UK courts. Albania had also been considered but was ruled out publicly by the Prime Minister Edi Rama, humiliating Sir Keir as he was on a visit to the country at the time claiming the hubs could be a possibility.

The Times reports a government source who was briefed by security officials said: "The advice we got was you'd be sending people into a Russian sphere of interest.

"They cited critical UK national infrastructure, facilities and systems that would be set up that could be infiltrated by the Russians by installing agents and other personnel working in the interest of the Kremlin."

Under the Conservative government in 2022 a similar scheme to put offshore migrant centres in the Balkans was blocked after concerns were raised from intelligence sources.

Speaking to the Times the source discussing the current plans added that it would effectively put "British interest" and "British real estate" in a region where Russia has much more control and influence "than other areas in the world".

They added: "The security view was that 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.

"Putting a massive processing site for immigration claims right next to a hostile state was not deemed sensible from a security perspective."

Earlier this month the Prime Minister said he was speaking to several countries about "return hubs" for failed asylum seekers. Sir Keir said the government was exploring the possibility of sending failed asylum seekers for processing in third countries prior to deportation.

Speaking at the European Political Community Summit in Tirana, Albania, he said: "I've had a number of discussions with all sorts of leaders here today, numerous discussions with numerous leaders, including discussions about return hubs."

He said such hubs were not "a silver bullet in and of themselves", but would be "a very important additional tool in our armoury" combined with other measures to tackle smuggling gangs.