Albania's Prime Minister has accused the Home Secretary of treating his citizens as scapegoats to "excuse policy failures".
In a blast at crisis-hit Suella Braverman, Edi Rama accused her of "discriminating" against Albanians and slammed the "easy rhetoric" of targeting his people for Britain's immigration woes.
He accused Britain of becoming like a "madhouse" with a culture of "finding scapegoats" during a migration crisis where "failed policies" are to blame.
Mr Rama lashed out at Ms Braverman's "crazy" choice of language in the Commons this week, when she sparked outrage by branding the Channel migrant crisis an "invasion".
The Home Secretary has repeatedly singled out Albanian asylum seekers as she battles to shift blame for the flurry of small boats away from her door.
The under-fire Tory is considering a "bespoke route" to ship failed asylum seekers home to Albania more quickly.
But the Albanian leader tore into her comments and said Britain must treat his country with respect.
Mr Rama tweeted: "Targeting Albanians (as some shamefully did when fighting for Brexit ) as the cause of Britain's crime and border problems makes for easy rhetoric but ignores hard fact.
"Repeating the same things and expecting different results is insane (ask Einstein!)."
The Albanian leader argued that 70% of the 140,000 people from his country who have moved to the UK were living in Italy and Greece, while 1,200 of them are business people, and that Albanians in the UK "work hard and pay tax".
He said the UK should "fight the crime gangs of all nationalities and stop discriminating" against "Albanians to excuse policy failures".
"Albania is not a rich country and was for a very long time a victim of empires, we never had our own," he said.
"We have a duty to fight crime at home and are doing so resolutely, as cooperating closely with others too. Ready to work closer with UK but facts are crucial. So is mutual respect."
Downing Street said it is "extremely grateful" for Albania's cooperation on the migrant crisis.
A No 10 spokeswoman said: "We remain extremely grateful for the cooperation of the Albanian government, we have a strong working relationship with them, which we would want to continue to build on."
She said that Albanian nationals made up to over a third of small boat arrivals this year, with rising crossings putting "unprecedented pressure" on the UK asylum system.
She did not deny the Government trying to strike Rwanda-style deals with other countries after reports these could include Belize, Peru and Paraguay.
"We do plan to negotiate similar deals with other countries, akin to the Rwanda partnership, but it's not helpful for us to comment on speculation around potential discussions," she said.
Last week, MPs were told that 12,000 Albanians had arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel so far this year, compared to 50 in 2020.
The newly reappointed Home Secretary is under intense pressure over desperate conditions at the Manston processing centre.
Migrants held at the former military base in Kent described the conditions as a "prison".
A young girl threw a bottle with a letter begging for help over the perimeter fence to a PA photographer this afternoon.
Ms Braverman also faces continued scrutiny over the security breach that led to her losing her job under Liz Truss. She was reinstated by Rishi Sunak six days later,
Ms Braverman was told she had "broken the law" as Rishi Sunak struggled to defend her in a furious PMQs clash.
The Home Secretary, dubbed “Leaky Sue”, scowled as she was hauled over the coals by senior Labour MP Meg Hillier, who accused her of leaking information, presiding over "chaos" in the Home Office and "breaking the law".
Ms Hillier, who chairs the Commons Public Accounts Committee, blasted: "What will she actually have to do to get the sack?"
The Prime Minister battled to defend Ms Braverman, who he reappointed as Home Secretary only six days after she was forced to resign for a serious breach of ministerial rules.
He retorted: "The Home Secretary made an error of judgment but she recognised her mistake and took accountability for her actions."
Keir Starmer taunted Mr Sunak, telling him to "get a proper Home Secretary".
