This morning, The Prime Minister visited Italy’s migration coordination centre to learn more about the efforts behind Italy’s 60% reduction in migrant crossings under Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni.

Given the current impasse in Britain regarding attempts to ‘smash the criminal gangs’ – the Conservative Party’s flagship, and notoriously expensive, Rwanda scheme was eventually dropped by Labour – it’s reasonable for the UK to seek to emulate Italy’s suggestion of offshoring asylum-processing centres to countries like Albania.

Of particular note is that, while this agreement between Italy and Albania has turned out to be a significant deterrent for migrants crossing from the North African route through the Mediterranean, the asylum-processing centres in Albania are not even fully up and running, and are very costly, according to one Italian MEP.

So the Albanian agreement is more than anything a demonstration of the power of symbolism. It is the Italian Government’s public determination to pursue this policy, and its forthright messaging that it is doing so, that has driven down migrant numbers – perhaps there is a lesson here for the UK Government, hopelessly disunited over previous efforts to tackle immigration.

The good news is that Martin Hewitt, former chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, was accompanying Starmer on this grand tour of Italy’s immigration coordination HQ. The Prime Minister will be hoping that his freshly minted UK Border Security Command, whose remit to smash the gangs merges the intelligence and data provided by MI5, MI6, and The Home Office, will incorporate some of the lessons learned in Italy.

Better still, this meeting of minds on migration was complimented by a triumphant announcement from the PM:  he confirmed £485 million of investment into UK defence, clean growth and innovation by two major Italian companies – Leonardo and Marcegaglia.

Leonardo, one of Italy and the world’s leading defence, aerospace and security companies, will invest £450million to be spent at their Yeovil site, and in technology development and research programmes across the UK. It operates 8 major sites in the UK, supporting 8,000 employees.

Marcegaglia, a steel manufacturer, will invest £50 million in Sheffield to build a new clean steel electric arc furnace, creating 50 new jobs directly and indirectly.

Italy is one of the UK’s top ten trading partners, with annual bilateral trade worth £50 billion. It is also a pivotal NATO, G7 and EU player, whose cooperation is required more than ever in supporting Ukraine against Russia aggression, and in cooperating to bring a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza.

Underscoring this was both Starmer and Meloni’s acknowledgement that the close UK-Italy cooperation showcased today will help bring the UK back into the orbit of the EU, and improve post-Brexit relations with its largest trading partner.

A success for two allies who at least appear to be aligned on major economic, defence, and immigration policy.

Not bad for a former Young Socialist and a former Young Fascist. Such is the power of mutual interests.