How Albania's 6ft 7in former basketball player Prime Minister towered over Keir Starmer on his day of humiliation as his long-awaited migrant crackdown crumbled live on TV
Edi Rama, a former professional basketball player who won a fourth term as PM on Sunday, loomed large over his 5ft 8in British counterpart and humiliated him over his latest attempt at a migrant crackdown.
Clambering to 'smash the gangs', Sir Keir used a trip to Tirana to unveil plans to create Rwanda-style centres abroad to house failed asylum seekers from the UK.
Standing at two podiums in front of the Union Jack and Albanian flags, there was a notable disparity between the two leaders.
Not only was Sir Keir dwarfed by his Albanian counterpart in size, he was then subjected to a televised rebuke that has left Labour red-faced and the Conservatives laughing.
Addressing the media, Starmer revealed Britain was 'in talks with a number of countries about return hubs' - a scheme where asylum seekers would be sent back to their home country if they have exhausted all of their options in the UK.
In a moment he may be living to regret, he then suggested he would be speaking about the idea with Mr Rama.
But puffing his chest out and publicly dunking the PM, Mr Rama said: 'We have been asked by several countries if we were open to it, and we said no, because we are loyal to the marriage with Italy and the rest is just love.'
Overshadowing the PM's migration crackdown attempt, the white-trainer-wearing leader explained: 'I have been very clear since day one when we started this process with Italy that this was a one off with Italy because of our very close relation but also because of the geographical situation which makes a lot of sense.'
It marked a major blow for the Labour Party who just days ago launched an immigration crackdown as Sir Keir pledged to 'tighten up every area of the immigration system'.
In stark contrast, it was a sharp response from Mr Rama, who extended his record as Albania's longest-serving leader since the fall of communism as he was elected for a fourth term on Sunday.
His Socialist Party secured 52 per cent of the vote against the Democratic Party, led by 80-year-old ex-PM Sali Berisha.
Mr Rama is well respected by both European and American leaders, who see him as a stabalising force in the Balkan region. The PM, who studied art in Paris as a young man, has led Albania's bid to pull away from Russia and be friendly with Europe.
Albania has also become a popular European destination, with more than 10 million foreign visitors flocking to its stunning Riviera each year.
On Monday, Sir Keir had vowed to 'take back control of our borders' and close the book on a 'squalid chapter' for politics and the economy.
It appeared that the PM was keen to kick on with his pledge by bringing up return hubs in Tirana - but it was a move that majorly backfired.
Sir Keir declined to name the countries involved - thought to include Serbia, Bosnia and North Macedonia - but added: 'At the appropriate time, I'll be able to give you further details in relation to it.'
Speaking in Albania earlier, Sir Keir said: 'What now we want to do and are having discussions of, talks of, is return hubs which is where someone has been through the system in the UK, they need to be returned and we have to make sure they're returned effectively and we'll do that, if we can, through return hubs.
'So that's what the talks are about. I would say in this area no single measure is going to be the measure that is, if you like, a silver bullet.
'By putting it all together - arrests, seizures, agreements with other countries, returning people who shouldn't be here, and return hubs, if we can through these talks to add to our armoury, will allow us to bear down on this vile trade and to make sure that we stop those people crossing the Channel.'
Downing Street said the plans were 'entirely different' to the last government's flagship Rwanda deportation scheme.
But the decision to open talks on paying to send asylum seekers to third countries will leave the Prime Minister open to allegations of hypocrisy.
Sir Keir scrapped the Rwanda scheme within days of coming to office, branding it a 'gimmick'.
But ministers are now scrambling to find a replacement that could act as a deterrent to Channel migrants following a surge in crossings since Labour came to power.
Arrivals this year have topped 12,000 - an increase of 40 per cent on 2024. More than 600 crossed on Monday while the PM was giving a major speech promising a crackdown on immigration.
The surge in numbers threatens to make a mockery of Labour's plan to 'smash the gangs', with ministers now resorting to blaming the fine weather for the increase in illegal crossings.
The new plan will involve sending paying to send potentially thousands of failed asylum seekers to the Balkans, rather than holding them in the UK until they can be removed.
In some cases, those involved will be from countries like Afghanistan which are deemed too dangerous to return people to.
But officials say many other cases involve people who are 'actively frustrating' their removal to relatively safe countries through tactics like destroying their identity documents.
Downing Street said it was established before Sir Keir's visit that Albania would not be part of the UK's plans and that it was 'never planned as part of discussions' between the Prime Minister and Mr Rama.
Sir Keir's official spokesman said there is a 'specific Albania-Italy relationship' on return hubs.
While in Tirana, the Prime Minister is also expected to announce further co-operation with Albania on tackling illegal migration and organised crime alongside his Albanian counterpart.
This is set to include plans to help ensure returned migrants stay in Albania rather than try to enter the UK again - the so-called 'revolving door problem'.
Migration is also likely to feature during talks at the European Political Community summit in Tirana on Friday, along with discussion of defence and Ukraine.
Elsewhere as he spoke alongside Mr Rama in Tirana, the Prime Minister was asked if he would apologise on behalf of the UK for negative stereotypes about Albanians.
Sir Keir insisted his visit should be seen 'as a statement of intent as to the regard that I hold Albania'.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, claimed the PM's trip was an 'embarrassment', adding: 'Starmer jetted off and now the Albanian prime minister has made clear that there will be no UK return hubs in Albania. So, what was the point of this entire visit?
'Under the Conservatives, we already struck a real returns deal and a law enforcement deal with Albania - and they worked. Small boat arrivals from Albania dropped by over 90%. Now Labour are dishonestly insinuating it's down to them.'
Mr Philp claimed the Government was 'scrambling to stitch together a weak imitation' of the Tories' Rwanda plan.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Telegraph
Migrants must leave Epping hotel, High Court rules
Asylum seekers can no longer be housed in a hotel in Epping, a High Court judge has ruled. Epping Forest council has been granted a temporary injunction to prevent Somani Hotels, the owner of the Bell Hotel in the Essex town, from accommodating migrants through a Home Office contract. In a ruling on Tuesday, Mr Justice Eyre granted the temporary injunction but extended the time limit by which the hotel must stop housing asylum seekers from an initial 14 days to 24. All asylum seekers must now leave the hotel by September 12. The court's ruling, delivered on Tuesday, came after the Home Office had attempted to derail the injunction at the last minute. Barristers representing the department suggested that a decision to approve the application could put Britain's asylum hotel scheme at risk of falling apart. There could be 'similar applications made elsewhere that would then aggravate pressures on the asylum estate' and injunction applications could become a 'new norm adopted by local authorities', lawyers for the Home Office submitted. The Home Office lawyers also suggested that granting the injunction 'runs the risk of acting as an impetus for further violent protests'. In a lengthy judgment granting the interim injunction, Mr Justice Eyre cited that there had been 'lawful protests' against 'the use of the Bell to accommodate asylum seekers', adding: 'These protests have caused a degree of disruption to the lives of local residents. 'No one factor is determinative by itself, and I have looked at matters in the round. My conclusion on this issue is that the balance of convenience falls in favour of the grant of interim relief.' The alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old schoolgirl by an Ethiopian asylum seeker living at the Bell Hotel prompted demonstrations, which began last month, outside the hotel. Hadush Kebatu, 41, is charged with three counts of sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and one count of harassment without violence. He denies all charges. The Home Office was not represented at a previous hearing in the case on Friday. However, at the start of the hearing on Tuesday the department asked to be allowed to intervene. Edward Brown KC said: 'If the injunction is granted by the court, it will substantially impact on the Home Secretary's statutory duties. The local authority should in fact have given some consideration to the wider public interest in this application.' He added that the injunction bid 'causes particular, acute difficulties at the present date'. Mr Justice Eyre refused the intervention and told barristers: 'The secretary of state had sufficient time to take steps to ensure that material that she now wants to bring forward to the court was put before the court.' He said: 'It is my assessment that the joinder of the [Home Secretary] is not necessary so the court can determine all matters in dispute in proceedings. The consequences of the [Home Secretary] joining would be the loss of yet further court time. The impact of that is significant.' Chris Whitbread, the leader of Epping Forest district council, said: 'I am delighted. This is great news for our residents. The last few weeks have placed an intolerable strain on our community, but today we have some great news. 'Thank you to Mr Justice Eyre. For the first time in weeks, we can see a chink of light at the end of the tunnel. I also want to say a massive thank you to our planning and legal teams, who have worked day and night in preparation for our day in court. They have done our council proud. 'This is not the end of the matter. Having obtained an interim provision the next stage is for the council to return to the court and seek a permanent injunction. 'Home Office policy ignores the issues and concerns of local residents that the council represents. Today we have made a step towards redressing the imbalance and showing that local people do have some say, whatever the Home Office thinks.' The judge refused to give Somani Hotels the green light to challenge his ruling. Piers Riley-Smith, for the company, had asked him to be allowed to appeal against it, citing its 'wide-reaching ramifications'. He argued that there was a 'compelling reason for the appeal to be heard', including the 'precedent that would be set' by the ruling and the impact that it could have 'on the wider strategy of the [Home Secretary] in relation to the housing of asylum seekers in hotels as part of meeting their statutory duties'. Mr Justice Eyre said that he was 'not persuaded there is such a compelling reason'. Somani Hotels could still ask the Court of Appeal for the go-ahead to challenge the ruling. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'This ruling is a moment of relief for the people of Epping. Residents should never have had to fight their own Government just to feel safe in their own town. 'Local residents have every right to feel safe in their own streets and every right to object when their community is treated as a dumping ground.' He accused Labour of deciding to 'tear up the deterrents the Conservatives put in place'. Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the ruling should signal the end of the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, adding: 'Everyone agrees that hotels are the wrong answer – they cost the taxpayer billions, trap people in limbo and are flashpoints in communities. 'Through our frontline work, we see how protests and hostility leave people who have fled war and persecution feeling terrified and targeted in the very places they are forced to live. This makes an already traumatising situation worse and prevents people from feeling safe. 'Instead of using costly hotels, the Government should partner with local councils to provide safe, cost-effective accommodation within communities.'
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Asylum seekers set to be removed from Essex hotel as council granted injunction
Asylum seekers are set to be removed from an Essex hotel after a council was granted a temporary High Court injunction blocking them from being housed there. Epping Forest District Council had asked a judge to issue an interim injunction stopping migrants from being accommodated at the Bell Hotel in Epping. The injunction sought by the council meant the hotel's owner, Somani Hotels Limited, would have had to stop housing asylum seekers there within 14 days. The hotel has been at the centre of a series of protests in recent weeks after an asylum seeker who was staying there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. In a ruling on Tuesday, Mr Justice Eyre granted the temporary injunction, but extended the time limit by which the hotel must stop housing asylum seekers to September 12. Several protests and counter-protests have been held in the town since a then-resident at the hotel was accused of trying to kiss a teenage girl. Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu has denied charges against him and is due to stand trial later this month. A second man who resides at the hotel, Syrian national Mohammed Sharwarq, has separately been charged with seven offences, while several other men have been charged over disorder outside the hotel. The council said last week it was seeking an injunction due to 'unprecedented levels of protest and disruption' in connection with asylum seeker accommodation. Chris Whitbread, leader of the council, said the situation 'cannot go on' but the Government 'is not listening'. At a hearing on Friday, barristers for the council said that the site's 'sole lawful use' was as a hotel and that Somani Hotels had breached planning rules by using it to house asylum seekers. Philip Coppel KC, for the authority, said the situation was 'wholly unacceptable' and provided a 'feeding ground for unrest'. He said: 'There has been what can be described as an increase in community tension, the catalyst of which has been the use of the Bell Hotel to place asylum seekers.' Mr Coppel continued: 'It is not the asylum seekers who are acting unlawfully. It is the defendant, by allowing the hotel to be used to house asylum seekers.' He added: 'It really could not be much worse than this.' Piers Riley-Smith, for Somani Hotels, said that 'disagreement with Government policy' did not justify a 'draconian' injunction and that there would be 'hardship' caused to the company and those housed at the hotel. He also said that contracts to house asylum seekers were a 'financial lifeline' for the hotel, which was only 1% full in August 2022, when it was open to paying customers. Mr Riley-Smith said: 'It is clear that recent protests have expanded far beyond the local community and have gone into concerns about wider ideological and political issues from those outside the community. 'Those particular ideological, non-community concerns are not relevant to planning.'
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
High court judge orders closure of Essex asylum hotel after far-right protests
A hotel housing asylum seekers that has attracted repeated violent far-right demonstrations has been ordered closed down by a high court judge. Mr Justice Eyre granted an urgent request for an interim injunction against the owners of the Bell hotel in Epping, Essex, after hearing the local council's complaints that they were breaching planning law by changing the site's use. Epping district council also cited disruption caused by the protests, which followed the charging of two people staying at the hotel with sexual offences, and concerns for the safety of the asylum seekers themselves. Lawyers for the hotel's owners had argued the council was trying to stop the protests, and that no planning concerns justified taking the 'exceptional step' of issuing an urgent order to close down the hotel, rather than dealing with the matter via conventional enforcement action or at a final injunction hearing. Sitting at the Royal Courts of Justice on Tuesday, the judge agreed with the council that an urgent order was required to close down the operation. He said the hotel's operator had until 12 September to comply – subject to a possible appeal.
