Labour vows fast-track crackdown on asylum claims from Albania and ‘safe’ countries

‘Unfounded’ claims should be rejected in weeks, says Yvette Cooper

Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper (PA)

Labour has promised to introduce a new fast-tracking process for migrants from Albania and other “safe” countries in a bid to clear the huge backlog of claims.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper accused the government of failing to “get any grip” – saying it was time for a fast-track system so “unfounded asylum claims can be rejected and returned in a matter of weeks”.

The party cited Home Office figures showing that only 1 per cent of the 7,000 Albanians who made asylum claims arriving in small boats in the past year have had their case determined.