Sir Keir Starmer has handed Italians millions of pounds in a bid to clamp down on migrants arriving illegally into Europe.

The Prime Minister announced the UK will give £4 million to the Rome Process, the Italian government’s project to tackle the root causes of irregular migration.

Sir Keir said: “I am in Italy with a clear message for one of our closest international friends and partners: Britain is a place to do business.

“It is only by resetting our relationships around the world that we can break down the barriers that have been holding the UK back for so long.

“It means we can attract investment such as the significant sum I’m announcing today, create jobs for hardworking British people and deliver on my ultimate mission for the UK – economic growth.”

The Prime Minister met with his Italian counterpart Georgia Meloni to discuss the issue, hours after eight migrants died while trying to cross the English Channel.

At a joint press conference with Ms Meloni, he confirmed £485 million of investment into UK defence, clean growth and innovation by two major Italian companies - Leonardo and Marcegaglia.

This followed a business roundtable with leading Italian bosses in Rome, who together support 17,500 jobs in every part of the UK.

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

Leonardo, one of the world’s leading defence, aerospace and security companies, will invest £435 million in 2024, 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.

Stefano Pontecorvo, chairman of Leonardo said: “ This investment will support advanced research, thousands of highly skilled jobs and outstanding early careers opportunities at our eight UK sites as well as the resilience of our nationwide supply chain.

“It is clear that the Prime Minister represents a pronounced change in approach for the UK and its relationship with the European Union.”