UK Faces Diplomatic Pushback Over Asylum Processing Centre Plan

Albania’s Prime Minister, Edi Rama, has offered a candid and critical assessment of the UK’s proposed asylum plans, warning that the approach reflects a deeper shift in post-Brexit Britain’s political climate. Speaking during Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Tirana, Rama described the idea of sending refused asylum seekers to third countries as something that points to a country in a “very dark place.” While careful to separate the policy from Starmer’s character, calling him “a very decent and delightful person,” Rama expressed concern over what he sees as a deterioration in the tone and values of British public debate since the 2016 referendum.

The UK government is currently exploring the idea of setting up so-called “returns hubs” in third countries, where individuals who have had their asylum claims denied in the UK could be relocated. The plan is part of a broader effort to manage irregular migration, particularly small boat crossings across the Channel. Although Albania has worked with other countries, such as Italy, on migration-related agreements, Rama was clear that Albania would not support a similar arrangement with the UK.

Rama’s remarks reflect not just opposition to the specifics of the policy but a wider unease about how migration is being handled and discussed in British politics. He noted that proposals that would once have been dismissed as extreme have now become part of mainstream policy, suggesting a worrying normalisation of rhetoric and ideas that treat migration primarily as a problem to be outsourced.

While the UK government has not confirmed any formal deals, it has indicated it is in discussions with several nations about hosting these processing centres. The move is intended to ease pressure on the UK’s asylum system and deter unauthorised entries, particularly from Albania, which has seen a high number of nationals crossing the Channel in recent years.

Rama’s response highlights the sensitivities involved in international cooperation on migration and signals a growing divide between Britain’s policy direction and the stance of key partners. His words serve as both a diplomatic refusal and a broader reflection on how the UK is seen from outside its borders.

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