The deal was signed during a two-day visit to London by Iraq’s Deputy Foreign Minister and Head of the Higher Returns Committee, who met Security Minister Dan Jarvis…reports Asian Lite News
The UK Government has signed a new agreement with Iraq aimed at strengthening border security, stepping up cooperation on illegal migration and creating formal processes to swiftly return individuals with no legal right to remain in Britain.
The deal was signed during a two-day visit to London by Iraq’s Deputy Foreign Minister and Head of the Higher Returns Committee, who met Security Minister Dan Jarvis. Officials said the agreement was designed to reinforce efforts to deter small boat crossings in the English Channel and undermine organised criminal gangs that profit from people smuggling.
Jarvis said the accord reflected the government’s determination to pursue “serious diplomacy that delivers real results” while building long-term partnerships with key countries.
“As someone who served in Iraq, I understand first-hand the importance of building enduring relationships in the region,” he said. “The new agreement we have signed is a testament to the trust and cooperation we’ve built with our Iraqi counterparts. By working together on security, development and migration challenges, we are strengthening ties that benefit both our countries whilst tackling shared challenges like organised crime and irregular migration.”
The accord follows commitments made earlier this year by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Iraqi counterpart Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani to deepen cooperation on migration, and builds on earlier agreements signed by the Home Secretary in 2024 covering border security and organised crime. Those earlier deals included £800,000 in UK funding for law enforcement training, projects to tighten border security, and capacity-building measures to disrupt people-smuggling networks and drug flows.
The government said the latest agreement would accelerate the return of Iraqi nationals with no right to stay in the UK and help ensure those removals were sustainable, thanks to reintegration support provided by Iraq.
Official figures suggest the approach is already making an impact. The number of Iraqi nationals arriving in the UK by small boat fell to 1,900 in the year ending March 2025, down from 2,600 the previous year. Ministers argue this decline demonstrates the value of what they describe as “upstream cooperation” – tackling irregular migration at source through international diplomacy.
Talks during the Iraqi delegation’s visit extended well beyond migration. Officials discussed regional security, relations between Baghdad and Erbil, defence cooperation, and a growing trade relationship between the two countries.
The UK Government emphasised its support for Iraq’s economic development, including infrastructure investment. A trade package worth up to £12.3 billion for British businesses was announced earlier this year during Prime Minister Al-Sudani’s visit to London.
The UK also reiterated its support for Iraq’s stability at a time of heightened tensions across the Middle East. Both sides agreed on the importance of de-escalation and renewed diplomacy to bolster regional security.
Hamish Falconer, Minister for the Middle East, said: “The UK-Iraq relationship has entered a new era – going from strength to strength across a number of areas, including driving economic growth and ensuring regional stability. We will continue to use innovative foreign policy approaches to secure Britain’s borders and support development through partnerships.”
The agreement with Iraq is part of a broader package of measures being implemented by the government as it seeks to restore what ministers call “order” to the asylum system.
In its first year, the government says it has returned more than 35,000 failed asylum seekers, foreign criminals and other immigration offenders – a 14 per cent increase compared with the same period the previous year.
New deportation powers for foreign national offenders were also introduced last week, enabling the immediate removal of prisoners once primary legislation is in force. This builds on changes that reduced the threshold for deportation from 50 per cent to 30 per cent of a sentence served.
In addition, the government has announced a major expansion of the “Deport First, Appeal Later” scheme. This policy, which requires foreign nationals to appeal deportation decisions from their home countries rather than from within the UK, will grow from covering eight countries to 23. Ministers argue the expansion will ease pressure on the prison and detention estate by allowing more offenders to be removed more quickly.
Officials describe the evolving UK-Iraq relationship as part of a wider “reset” in foreign policy under the Starmer government, with an emphasis on building strategic, long-term partnerships rather than short-term transactional arrangements.
For the UK, this means combining border and security cooperation with economic development and regional stability. For Iraq, it provides renewed support for reconstruction, infrastructure and reintegration, as well as enhanced defence and diplomatic engagement with London.
The government says its approach balances firm action on illegal migration with maintaining Britain’s “proud tradition” of offering sanctuary to those genuinely fleeing persecution through safe and legal routes.
Jarvis added: “By working with our international partners, we can tackle the root causes of irregular migration, cut off the criminal gangs who exploit the vulnerable, and build a fairer and more effective system that works for those in genuine need and for the British people.”
