How Albania's 6ft 7in former basketball player Prime Minister towered over Keir Starmer on his day of humiliation as his long-awaited migrant crackdown crumbled live on TV
At 6ft 7in, Albania's giant of a Prime Minister towered over Sir Keir Starmer - both in size and authority - in Tirana yesterday.
Edi Rama, a former professional basketball player who won a fourth term as PM on Sunday, loomed large over his 5ft 8in British counterpart and humiliated him over his latest attempt at a migrant crackdown.
Clambering to 'smash the gangs', Sir Keir used a trip to Tirana to unveil plans to create Rwanda-style centres abroad to house failed asylum seekers from the UK.
Standing at two podiums in front of the Union Jack and Albanian flags, there was a notable disparity between the two leaders.
Not only was Sir Keir dwarfed by his Albanian counterpart in size, he was then subjected to a televised rebuke that has left Labour red-faced and the Conservatives laughing.
Addressing the media, Starmer revealed Britain was 'in talks with a number of countries about return hubs' - a scheme where asylum seekers would be sent back to their home country if they have exhausted all of their options in the UK.
In a moment he may be living to regret, he then suggested he would be speaking about the idea with Mr Rama.
But puffing his chest out and publicly dunking the PM, Mr Rama said: 'We have been asked by several countries if we were open to it, and we said no, because we are loyal to the marriage with Italy and the rest is just love.'
Overshadowing the PM's migration crackdown attempt, the white-trainer-wearing leader explained: 'I have been very clear since day one when we started this process with Italy that this was a one off with Italy because of our very close relation but also because of the geographical situation which makes a lot of sense.'
It marked a major blow for the Labour Party who just days ago launched an immigration crackdown as Sir Keir pledged to 'tighten up every area of the immigration system'.
In stark contrast, it was a sharp response from Mr Rama, who extended his record as Albania's longest-serving leader since the fall of communism as he was elected for a fourth term on Sunday.
His Socialist Party secured 52 per cent of the vote against the Democratic Party, led by 80-year-old ex-PM Sali Berisha.
Mr Rama is well respected by both European and American leaders, who see him as a stabalising force in the Balkan region. The PM, who studied art in Paris as a young man, has led Albania's bid to pull away from Russia and be friendly with Europe.
Albania has also become a popular European destination, with more than 10 million foreign visitors flocking to its stunning Riviera each year.
On Monday, Sir Keir had vowed to 'take back control of our borders' and close the book on a 'squalid chapter' for politics and the economy.
It appeared that the PM was keen to kick on with his pledge by bringing up return hubs in Tirana - but it was a move that majorly backfired.
Sir Keir declined to name the countries involved - thought to include Serbia, Bosnia and North Macedonia - but added: 'At the appropriate time, I'll be able to give you further details in relation to it.'
Speaking in Albania earlier, Sir Keir said: 'What now we want to do and are having discussions of, talks of, is return hubs which is where someone has been through the system in the UK, they need to be returned and we have to make sure they're returned effectively and we'll do that, if we can, through return hubs.
'So that's what the talks are about. I would say in this area no single measure is going to be the measure that is, if you like, a silver bullet.
'By putting it all together - arrests, seizures, agreements with other countries, returning people who shouldn't be here, and return hubs, if we can through these talks to add to our armoury, will allow us to bear down on this vile trade and to make sure that we stop those people crossing the Channel.'
Downing Street said the plans were 'entirely different' to the last government's flagship Rwanda deportation scheme.
But the decision to open talks on paying to send asylum seekers to third countries will leave the Prime Minister open to allegations of hypocrisy.
Sir Keir scrapped the Rwanda scheme within days of coming to office, branding it a 'gimmick'.
But ministers are now scrambling to find a replacement that could act as a deterrent to Channel migrants following a surge in crossings since Labour came to power.
Arrivals this year have topped 12,000 - an increase of 40 per cent on 2024. More than 600 crossed on Monday while the PM was giving a major speech promising a crackdown on immigration.
The surge in numbers threatens to make a mockery of Labour's plan to 'smash the gangs', with ministers now resorting to blaming the fine weather for the increase in illegal crossings.
The new plan will involve sending paying to send potentially thousands of failed asylum seekers to the Balkans, rather than holding them in the UK until they can be removed.
In some cases, those involved will be from countries like Afghanistan which are deemed too dangerous to return people to.
But officials say many other cases involve people who are 'actively frustrating' their removal to relatively safe countries through tactics like destroying their identity documents.
Downing Street said it was established before Sir Keir's visit that Albania would not be part of the UK's plans and that it was 'never planned as part of discussions' between the Prime Minister and Mr Rama.
Sir Keir's official spokesman said there is a 'specific Albania-Italy relationship' on return hubs.
While in Tirana, the Prime Minister is also expected to announce further co-operation with Albania on tackling illegal migration and organised crime alongside his Albanian counterpart.
This is set to include plans to help ensure returned migrants stay in Albania rather than try to enter the UK again - the so-called 'revolving door problem'.
Migration is also likely to feature during talks at the European Political Community summit in Tirana on Friday, along with discussion of defence and Ukraine.
Elsewhere as he spoke alongside Mr Rama in Tirana, the Prime Minister was asked if he would apologise on behalf of the UK for negative stereotypes about Albanians.
Sir Keir insisted his visit should be seen 'as a statement of intent as to the regard that I hold Albania'.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, claimed the PM's trip was an 'embarrassment', adding: 'Starmer jetted off and now the Albanian prime minister has made clear that there will be no UK return hubs in Albania. So, what was the point of this entire visit?
'Under the Conservatives, we already struck a real returns deal and a law enforcement deal with Albania - and they worked. Small boat arrivals from Albania dropped by over 90%. Now Labour are dishonestly insinuating it's down to them.'
Mr Philp claimed the Government was 'scrambling to stitch together a weak imitation' of the Tories' Rwanda plan.
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