Keir Starmer Offers to Send Failed Asylum Seekers to Shocking Place – What Happened Next Is Unbelievable

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer found himself in an awkward situation during a visit to Albania when the country’s leader, Edi Rama, publicly rejected the idea of hosting return centres for failed UK asylum seekers.

Starmer had recently revealed that the UK government was looking into the possibility of sending failed asylum seekers those who have no legal right to stay in the UK to other countries while they await deportation. These places, referred to as “return hubs,” were supposed to be part of the government’s efforts to make the deportation process quicker and cheaper.

But during a press conference in Tirana, Albania’s capital, Prime Minister Rama made it very clear that his country was not interested. He said that Albania had already turned down similar requests from other countries and was sticking to its current agreement with Italy. His words seemed like a direct and blunt rejection, especially since they came just hours after Starmer had spoken publicly about the return hub idea in a media interview.

Following the incident, Downing Street tried to calm the situation by saying Albania was never actually being considered for these return hubs, and that it wasn’t part of the discussions with Prime Minister Rama.

Starmer’s spokesperson later explained that the proposed return hubs weren’t aimed at new asylum seekers, but at those who had already been told to leave the UK but were using tricks to stay longer, like destroying ID documents or starting families. The plan, they said, was about making it harder for people to avoid being deported.

The UK government believes that sending these individuals to a third country could reduce delays and save money. Albania already has a similar deal with Italy, but that arrangement has faced legal and political challenges. Starmer said his idea was not like the Conservative Party’s controversial Rwanda policy, because his plan would only involve people who had gone through the full asylum process and lost.

Even though Starmer admitted his plan wouldn’t solve everything, he argued it would help slow down the illegal smuggling of migrants across the English Channel.

At the same time, he promised to work more closely with Albanian authorities to stop criminals and to prevent deported people from sneaking back into the UK. He said his visit showed respect for Albania and denied that he needed to apologise for past UK statements that unfairly targeted Albanian migrants.

However, his trip quickly drew criticism back home. Conservative MP Chris Philp called it an embarrassment. He said that the UK already had working deals with Albania under the Conservative government and accused Labour of trying to take credit for the results.

He pointed out that Albanian small boat arrivals had already dropped by more than 90%, and said Starmer was just trying to copy their Rwanda plan with a weaker version.

Meanwhile, official numbers show that more than 12,000 people have already arrived in the UK on small boats this year, suggesting that the country could break previous records in 2025.