Shabana Mahmood accused of 'ethnic stereotyping' after singling out Albanians for refusing to return home

A returns agreements signed by then-Home Secretary Priti Patel and Mr Rama in 2022 has severely dropped the number of Albanians making the illegal crossing, resulting in the Albanian Prime Minister's social media fury for Ms Mahmood's "scapegoating".

In his post on X, Mr Rama questioned: "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 - precisely at a moment when the UK and Albania have built one of Europe’s most successful partnerships on illegal migration?"

During her vow to knuckle down on illegal migration, Ms Mahmood claimed that hundreds of Albanian families had avoided deportation through the right of families to be reunited.

“We must remove those who have failed asylum claims, regardless of who they are," Ms Mahmood said earlier in the week.

“Today, we are not removing family groups, even when we know that their home country is perfectly safe.

"There are, for instance, around 700 Albanian families living in taxpayer-funded accommodation having failed their asylum claims – despite an existing returns agreement, and Albania being a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights.

“We will now begin the removal of families. Where possible, we will encourage a voluntary return, but where an enforced return is necessary, that is what we will do."

On his social media post, Mr Rama furiously reminded Ms Mahmood that since the 2022 returns agreement, "irregular arrivals from Albania to the UK have almost disappeared".

"Meanwhile, mobility and visa restrictions on the UK side remain a Braverman-era relic of failure, harming both the fundamental freedom of movement of people and the British economy itself," he continued.

"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.

"To single them out again and again is not policy - it is a troubling and indecent exercise in demagoguery.

"Albania is, and intends to remain, one of the UK’s most active allies in broader migration control across the Balkans.

"The UK should be seeking ways to deepen cooperation with Albania on all security issues - from defence to border protection - rather than repeatedly scapegoating Albanians and thereby exposing citizens of an allied nation to increased risks, including from extremist groups that thrive on such narratives.

"Official policy should never be driven by ethnic stereotyping. That is the very least humanity expects from the great Great Britain."

The Albanian Prime Minister has signed multiple return agreements with the UK for both illegal migrants and foreign officers.

One of the agreements sees the UK able to return some of the most violent Albanian prisoners back to the country.

Since 2022, when the removals agreement was signed by then-Home Secretary Ms Patel, the number of Albanian nationals crossing the Channel annually has dropped from 12,301 to 616.

And Mr Rama's scathing criticism is the latest that the Home Secretary has faced after her tough stance on illegal migration - particularly from within her own party.

Two dozen Labour MPs have publicly expressed concern over the plans, while Conservative and Reform politicians have welcomed the policies as a step in the right direction.

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