Starmer trip labelled an ‘embarassment’ as Albania rules out asylum seeker deal

Tories question point of PM’s visit to Albania as his counterpart rejects establishment of ‘return hubs’

Keir Starmer has been accused of overseeing a diplomatic “embarrassment” after arriving in Albania to promote a policy of establishing “return hubs” for refused asylum seekers only for his counterpart to rule it out.

The prime minister confirmed that refused asylum seekers could be sent to facilities abroad, which would function as detention centres, once they had exhausted all avenues of appeal against rejection of their application to stay in the UK.