Albanian asylum seekers will not be fast-tracked for deportation in Home Office U-turn

Home Office lawyers conceeded that deportations will be very limited in letter to refugee charity

The Home Office has admitted that Albanian asylum-seekers cannot be fast-tracked for deportation despite Priti Patel’s promise to “speed up” their removal.

In an abrupt U-turn, Home Office lawyers have conceded that the government cannot fast-track the deportation of Albanians who have claimed asylum in the UK. Instead, the policy will only apply to Albanians who do not claim asylum.

The comments were made in a letter to the refugee charity Care4Calais, who noted: “As virtually all Albanian refugees arriving will seek asylum, this makes the proposed policy insignificant.”