Albania's prime minister accused Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood of ethnic stereotyping after she singled out Albanian families in a speech about abuses of the asylum system.
Edi Rama criticized Mahmood for telling MPs that around 700 Albanian families were living in taxpayer-funded accommodation having failed their asylum claims as she announced significant reforms on Monday.
Rama called the number a statistical drop in the ocean of post-Brexit Britain's challenges.
Official data show the UK has deported more than 13,000 people to Albania since a returns deal was signed in 2022. Rama referred to the deal as one of Europe's most successful partnerships on illegal migration.
Mahmood's comments were made while she announced major changes to the UK's asylum policies, declaring the system out of control and unfair. She outlined plans to make refugee status temporary and impose stricter rules on failed asylum seekers.
Posting on social media, Rama challenged the rhetoric used by Mahmood, stating, How can a Labour Home Secretary so poorly echo the rhetoric of the populist far-right? He emphasized the contribution of Albanians to the British economy, stating it's unjust to single them out based on ethnicity.
This isn't the first instance of tension between Rama and British officials regarding treatment of Albanian nationals; he has previously expressed concerns over stigmatization and misleading statistics regarding crime rates related to Albanians in the UK.
