Albanian PM Slams UK Home Secretary Over Asylum Ethnic Bias Claims

Albania’s Prime Minister, Edi Rama, has strongly criticised the UK Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, accusing her of “ethnic stereotyping” after she singled out Albanian families while announcing major changes to the UK’s asylum system.

The controversy began after Mahmood, speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, said around 700 Albanian families were “living in taxpayer-funded accommodation having failed their asylum claims.” She highlighted these families as part of her government’s effort to reform what she described as the “out of control and unfair” asylum system.

Mahmood announced that the reforms would make refugee status temporary, extend the wait for permanent settlement from five years to 20 years, and allow the removal of families with children who have no right to remain. She also proposed new legal routes to the UK, along with an annual cap on numbers, while emphasizing that failed asylum claimants must be removed “regardless of who they are.”

Rama responded on social media, calling Mahmood’s remarks a “statistical drop in the ocean of post-Brexit Britain’s challenges” and warned that singling out Albanian families was a form of dangerous demagoguery. He emphasised that Albanians are “net contributors to the British economy” and that the number receiving UK benefits is very low compared to other communities.

He also highlighted that the UK and Albania have established one of Europe’s most successful partnerships on illegal migration since signing a returns deal in 2022, which has seen over 13,000 people deported from the UK to Albania. Rama criticised Mahmood for undermining this partnership and echoing populist rhetoric against Albanians.

Rama has previously clashed with British politicians over their treatment of Albanian nationals. Earlier this year, he refused to host UK “return hubs” for failed asylum seekers from other countries and accused political figures, including Nigel Farage, of spreading false statistics and stigmatising Albanians.

The Albanian Prime Minister warned that official UK policy should never be driven by ethnic stereotypes, adding that “this is the very least humanity expects from the great Great Britain.”

This latest exchange comes amid wider debates in the UK over asylum reforms and the treatment of migrants, highlighting ongoing tensions between the UK and Albania on migration and diplomatic issues.