Overview

• Interior ministers from the Western Balkans and other European allies are meeting in London to pursue new agreements targeting illegal migration routes.
• Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will say the government cannot currently determine who enters and who must leave the UK and will call for a joined-up international response.
• National Crime Agency director general Graeme Biggar is joining the summit to focus on disrupting people‑smuggling supply chains, with a session also planned on tackling violence against women and girls.
• The Home Office reports that almost 22,000 people were smuggled along Western Balkans routes in 2024, underscoring the region’s role as a key transit corridor.
• Separately, ministers have introduced tighter legal migration rules to Parliament, including an A‑level English requirement and higher employer charges from January 2027, as Conservatives criticize the government’s record and push leaving the ECHR.