Starmer raised BBC journalist unable to leave Vietnam with visiting leader

Sir Keir Starmer raised the case of a BBC journalist who has been prevented from leaving Vietnam with the country’s leader when the pair met at Downing Street.

To Lam, the general secretary of the Vietnamese communist party visited London on Wednesday, where he and Sir Keir struck a new migration deal aimed at more swiftly sending back illegal migrants to the south-east Asian country.

But it came against the backdrop of the public service broadcaster raising concerns about one of its journalists, a Vietnamese national, who has been unable to leave the country for several months after travelling there to visit family and renew their passport.

The journalist has had their passport and ID card withheld and has been subject to “multiple days of questioning”, according to the BBC.

The Prime Minister is understood to have raised the case when he met Mr Lam.

Sir Keir also raised the case of British woman Greta Marie Otteson, 33, and her South African fiance Arno Quinton Els, 36, who were found dead in December last year after reported methanol poisoning.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister raised consular issues and both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the comprehensive strategic partnership, to protect visitors and residents in line with national laws.”

Under the migration deal Sir Keir and Mr Lam signed on Wednesday, Vietnamese migrants with no right to be in the UK will be fast-tracked for deportation.

The deal is the strongest Vietnam’s government has agreed with another country on migration, and could potentially result in four times as many Vietnamese nationals with no ground to stay in Britain being returned, according to No 10.

As the Prime Minister’s meeting with Vietnam’s leader took place, the two also agreed a new comprehensive strategic partnership, aimed at furthering common work on defence, security, trade, climate and growth.

Sir Keir was invited to visit Vietnam in by Mr Lam, who spoke via a translator as they met, in order to “enrich the bilateral relationship between the two countries”.