On Thursday, April 27, 2023, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at 10 Downing Street in London for discussions focused on migration, defence, and the war in Ukraine.

Sunak welcomed Meloni and declared that Italy and the UK were very aligned in their values.

Both governments have adopted tough stances on migration in recent weeks, and they share an interest in stopping migrants from reaching their countries by boat.

Sunak's administration is passing a bill through Parliament that will deny the right to asylum to anyone who arrives in the UK without permission.

The legislation has been criticized by refugee groups and the United Nations human rights body.

The government also plans to send migrants who arrive by boat on a one-way trip to Rwanda, but legal challenges are blocking this plan.

Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party leads Italy's right-wing coalition government, has led a crackdown on people smugglers and on rescue ships operated by charities that she says encourage migrants to risk dangerous voyages from North Africa across the Mediterranean.

Meloni commended Sunak's work in tackling traffickers and illegal migration and expressed her agreement with his policies.

During their meeting, the two leaders discussed shared challenges, including responding to Putin's illegal invasion in Ukraine, and ways to work together.

Unlike some neutral leaders in the West, Meloni has taken a strongly pro-NATO, pro-European position on Russia's war in Ukraine.

After their meeting, the two leaders were due to have a private tour of Westminster Abbey, where King Charles III will be crowned on May 6.

However, a group of protesters gathered outside the gates of Downing Street, holding signs that read No to fascist Meloni and chanting: Refugees in, Meloni out.