Albania’s PM smiles with Rishi Sunak — before slamming how his country’s Channel migrants are ‘singled out’
ALBANIA’S PM smiles as he shakes hands with Rishi Sunak at No10 yesterday — before claiming the way his country’s Channel migrants are singled out is “disgraceful”.
Edi Rama blasted the Home Secretary Suella Braverman who referred last year to “Albanian criminals” who make the perilous journey in small boats.
The row erupted as Rishi Sunak met his counterpart in Downing Street to discuss tackling the issue of illegal migrants from the eastern European country.
Mr Rama said: “Unfortunately we have seen ourselves and our community being singled out in this country for purposes of politics.
“It has been a very, very disgraceful moment for British politics.”
He told the BBC: “This has been a very low point in our relations but there is a will to overcome it.
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“We will always refuse to have this mix between some criminals and the Albanians as such because giving to the crime an ethnic seal is itself a crime.”
The diplomatic spat started at the end of last year when Ms Barverman referred to “criminals” from the country in an exchange with Labour in the Commons.
She also said Albanians shouldn’t be claiming asylum here because they are coming from a “safe country.”
A committee of MPs heard last year that between one and two per cent of the entire male population of Albania were arriving here.
