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 criticised Mahmood for telling MPs around 700 Albanian families were living in taxpayer-funded accommodation having failed their asylum claims as she announced major 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 called the deal one of Europe's most successful partnerships on illegal migration.
Mahmood's comments came as she announced major changes to the UK's out of control and unfair asylum system.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Mahmood said: If we fail to deal with this crisis, we will draw more people down a path that starts with anger and ends in hatred.
The reforms will make refugee status temporary, extend the wait for permanent settlement from five years to 20, and allow the removal of families with children who have no right to remain.
Alongside tightening access to refugee status, the UK would create new legal routes to the UK, with an annual cap on numbers.
As part of her speech, Mahmood said, we must remove those who have failed asylum claims, regardless of who they are.
Posting on social media, Rama expressed his discontent: How can a Labour Home Secretary so poorly echo the rhetoric of the populist far-right – and single out 700 Albanian families, a statistical drop in the ocean of post-Brexit Britain's challenges?
Let us also be clear: Albanians are net contributors to the British economy, and the number of Albanians receiving UK benefits is very low relative to other communities.
Rama has repeatedly clashed with British politicians over their descriptions of Albanian nationals and previously accused politicians of stigmatizing Albanians.
