Albanian ambassador attacks UK right wing for ‘unhinged’ fixation with 2022 migrant surge

Exclusive: Uran Ferizi says arrivals fell sharply after short-lived influx, but country continues to be stigmatised

The number of Albanians who travelled to Britain in small boats four years ago remains the focus of “unhinged” and “hysterical” criticisms from rightwing politicians and the media, according to the country’s UK ambassador.

Uran Ferizi said the influx of more than 12,000 people from the Balkan state in 2022 was “real”, “exceptional” and “short-lived”, but the Albanian community in the UK was still being framed by those events by Reform UK and the Daily Telegraph.