Albanian PM hits out at UK's 'disgraceful' rhetoric about his citizens before Sunak talks

Edi Rama meets Rishi Sunak in London to discuss the migration crisis

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama speaks during a meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street. AFP

Albania’s Prime Minister has accused the UK government of “putting an ethnic seal on criminals” by stereotyping people from his nation as lawbreakers.

Speaking hours before his first meeting with Rishi Sunak at No 10 Downing Street, Edi Rama said politicians’ singling out of Albanians in debates on the migrant crisis had been a “very low point” in bilateral relations.

Mr Rama said it was disgraceful for members of Mr Sunak’s government, particularly Home Secretary Suella Braverman, to direct their rhetoric at Albanians, among other nationalities.

Ms Braverman has repeatedly chosen to focus on Albanians when criticising people who arrive in the UK via illegal means. She lamented a “surge in the number of Albanian arrivals” in the UK via the Channel and agreed with a Tory backbencher who brought up “Albanian criminals” during a debate on illegal migration.

Mr Rama hit back at Ms Braverman’s choice of language during his first official visit to the UK.

“We refuse, and will always refuse, to have a mix between criminals and the Albanians as such,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “Giving to the crime an ethnic seal is by itself a crime.”

“Unfortunately, we have seen ourselves and our community being singled out in this country for purposes of politics and it has been [a] very, very disgraceful moment for British politics.”

Asked to pinpoint the areas of contention, he said: “I mean exactly what has been spoken out by members of [Mr Sunak’s] cabinet, starting from the Home Secretary, and then I mean exactly what has been developing as singling out the whole community.”

He emphasised the contribution that members of the Albanian community have made to the British economy, saying they are “driving, constructing, cooking, even singing for you guys”.

Mr Rama said it is important that “some rotten apples do not define the Albanian community here nor our relations”.

But he said while the rhetoric had led to a “very low point in our relations”, he insisted he was “very satisfied” with Mr Sunak during his dealings with him so far.

Mr Sunak’s official spokesman said the two men focused on illegal immigration during their meeting, including deportation flights.

Mr Sunak in February said he hoped to “ratchet up” the number of flights taking illegal Albanian immigrants back to their homeland over the coming months.

His spokesman on Thursday confirmed that about 900 people have so far been sent back under the deal signed by London and Tirana last year.

“They will be updating on the work they have taken so far which has seen around 800 Albanian illegal migrants and almost 100 prisoners returned to Albania since December under the existing agreement,” he told reporters.

He added that Mr Sunak “is looking forward to having a constructive discussion” with his guest and stressed that ministers “value the Albanian community”.

“For our part, there is much to discuss, not just on illegal migration but on many of the other focuses we have with them on boosting economies and on security co-operation as well.”

Asked if government ministers would stop singling out Albanians when talking about illegal immigration, he responded: “We will obviously continue to make sure that we talk about this in a way that is factual, fair and compassionate and that’s the tone you’ve heard from the Prime Minister throughout this.”

Speaking at an event at London think tank Chatham House on Thursday evening, Mr Rama repeatedly mentioned the Home Secretary by name in a clear sign of his anger over her comments. He said Ms Braverman “never said she is sorry because she’s not sorry”.

Asked what the Albanian diaspora in the UK can do to change the negative perception others may have of them, he said they “can do nothing in that direction” but urged them to work hard.

“The truth of the Albanian community, the talents in the Albanian community, the contribution of the Albanian community will outlive Suella Braverman and many Suellas in a way,” he said. He added that Albanians in the UK would be doing the best they can if they continue to “be proud of being from where you are [from], be proud of belonging to this society”.

He rebuked UK politicians for implying that Albanian gangs were bringing criminal activities with them to the UK. He said it was “propaganda” for the UK to say they are cracking down on crime by working to break up Albanian gangs.

“Albanian criminals did not bring crime here, they found crime here,” he told the audience. “They did not bring drugs here, they found the market here. That’s why they came here — it’s a market of crime, of drugs, of all bad things.”

In a joint statement released following their meeting, the offices of Mr Rama and Mr Sunak said the two leaders had “committed to deepen work” under their existing agreement on tackling illegal immigration. They discussed “further agreements on data sharing and passports” in a bid to address the issue.

On criminal justice co-operation, they reached a new agreement through which British officials will collaborate with their Albanian counterparts to review prison capacity.

Mr Sunak and Mr Rama “welcomed ongoing joint work on extraditions, prosecutions and forensics capabilities, and the removal of hundreds of prisoners under existing agreements”, the statement said.

“They agreed that a joint UK-Albanian team will conduct an assessment of Albania’s prison capacity — to be concluded by the end of April — with a view to returning all eligible Albanian nationals in the UK prison system.”

More than half of illegal migrants who claimed to be victims of modern slavery in the first half of 2022 were Albanians, government figures show.

Albania's ambassador to the UK, Qirjako Qirko, last year told The National that the words used by British politicians in referring to Albanians had sparked a “wave of discrimination” towards people from his country.

Under Mr Sunak's Illegal Immigration Bill, anyone who arrives in the UK illegally will be banned from lodging asylum claims under the modern slavery system.

Tory MP Tim Loughton previously told The National the UK had been “too soft” on illegal arrivals from Albania by accepting their asylum applications. He said Tirana “owes Britain an apology” for the huge numbers of citizens arriving on UK shores illegally.