We’ve all seen how one wrong move in politics can spiral into a much bigger problem, and that’s exactly what happened with Keir Starmer’s recent trip to Albania.
Instead of showing strength or offering a real solution, Starmer ended up making a blunder that left him looking confused and ineffective.
At a joint press conference with Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama, Starmer announced that Albania might welcome asylum seekers rejected by the UK.
But here’s the kicker — Rama didn’t even know about this plan and quickly shut it down, telling Starmer to “go check the map.”
That awkward moment completely undermined Starmer’s message and made him look unprepared.
The Bigger Picture Behind the Blunder
This wasn’t just a minor slip-up. It’s part of a much larger failure in how Starmer’s government has handled the illegal immigration crisis, especially the small boats crossing the Channel.
The real disaster happened on Starmer’s first day in office when he scrapped the Rwanda asylum plan.
For months, Whitehall had worked on the Rwanda scheme, which aimed to send illegal arrivals to Rwanda for processing.
The plan had all the legal hurdles cleared, a treaty signed, and even a parliamentary act confirming Rwanda as a safe country for deportations.
It was ready to go by July last year and promised to deter illegal crossings quickly.
Why Cancelling the Rwanda Plan Was a Huge Mistake
Starmer didn’t cancel the Rwanda plan because it was unfair or too costly.
In fact, keeping migrants in UK hotels costs billions every year, so the Rwanda scheme would have paid for itself.
The real reason he ditched it was that he hadn’t yet understood how angry the public was about the unchecked illegal crossings.
At that time, Starmer was still trying to hold onto a politically correct, human-rights-focused image — the kind that leans toward helping migrants stay and makes deportation difficult.
That’s why he threw out the Rwanda plan, frustrating those who had spent years setting it up.
What Could Have Been If Rwanda Had Launched
If the Rwanda flights had started as planned, the cross-Channel illegal trade would likely have collapsed within three months.
The mere threat of being sent there already made many migrants rethink their journey, choosing other routes instead.
But instead, the government’s weak response has encouraged the gangs and led to more crossings — over 12,000 so far this year, the highest ever.
Public frustration has soared, and that’s what led Starmer’s poorly prepared trip to Albania.
Now, he’s talking about offshore hubs again, but with no clear plan or support.
Even if Albania had agreed, it wouldn’t solve the real problem: most asylum seekers don’t lose their appeals, and UK law is so complicated that they can drag out the process for years.
That’s why hotels are still bursting with illegal migrants.
Why Rwanda Was Different and Still the Best Solution
The beauty of the Rwanda scheme was its simplicity and firmness.
Anyone arriving illegally by boat would have been sent straight to Kigali with no chance to stall the process.
That clear-cut approach would have stopped the boats in their tracks. Cancelling it was not just disappointing; it was a strategic disaster.
Perhaps now, after that embarrassing moment with the Albanian Prime Minister, Starmer is finally starting to grasp the scale of the problem.
What Lies Ahead for Starmer and the Border Crisis
Illegal crossings are up 30 percent since Labour took office, and Starmer knows this played a huge part in his party’s recent poor local election results.
He can’t count on the French to help — their government seems reluctant to stop migrants from leaving their beaches, almost pushing the problem onto the UK.
It’s too dangerous for the UK navy or coastguard to turn back boats in the middle of the Channel due to safety and maritime laws.
Some have joked about punishing France economically until they took the issue seriously, but the reality is that only a strong, clear deterrent like Rwanda will work.
Why Brexit Was Necessary for Any Solution to Work
Some critics say the government had 14 years to solve this problem.
The truth is that as long as the UK was in the EU, it was impossible to pursue a plan like Rwanda because it broke EU asylum rules.
After Brexit, the UK was finally able to seek a partner willing to cooperate, and that’s how the deal with Rwanda came about under Priti Patel’s leadership.
Just as the UK was about to implement a bold, Australian-style solution, Labour’s election win ended those plans.
A Call for Real Leadership and a Return to Rwanda
Right now, Chris Philp, Labour’s shadow home affairs spokesman, is the only politician pushing for a real solution — reinstating a Rwanda-style offshore processing hub to deal with all illegal arrivals.
Starmer’s cancellation of the plan was a costly mistake the whole country is paying for.
It’s time to admit the error and bring back the Rwanda scheme.
Without it, the small boats will keep coming, the gangs will keep profiting, and public trust in government will continue to erode.