On the side of Albanians or personal image, how did Rama use the debate with Farage?

The debate between Prime Minister Edi Rama and British debutante Nigel Farage began as a public clash over Albanian immigration and criminality in Britain, but caused widespread media coverage. 

The debate between them flared up after Farage's statement while he was invited to GB News, where he claimed that "1 in 50 Albanians in Britain is in prison."

He added that Albania must “take back all its criminals,” turning the issue into a direct attack on Albanian immigrants.

This statement immediately went viral and provoked a reaction from Prime Minister Rama, who described the claim as "a post-Brexit absurdity and a deliberate deception."

He issued a public statement challenging Farage to provide concrete evidence for this statistic and promised that, if it turns out to be accurate, he would commit to returning all Albanians imprisoned in Britain.

“Oops… Mr. Nigel Farage challenged me with facts! What an honor – for a 'giant' as he described me (meaning, of course, from a 'small country') – to catch the attention of the peerless virtuoso of British headline politics.

"If your claim is true, I commit to returning all Albanians imprisoned in Britain. But if it is untrue, I invite you as an honorary friend to Albania - for real sunshine, real hospitality and real facts ," Rama wrote on X in a post on June 27. 

Farage, on the other hand, maintained the same stance, saying: " I will demand that all these prisoners be returned to Albania. Thank you for your cooperation."

Rama also disputed the number of Albanians Farage claimed live in Britain, saying that the Albanian population in Britain is much larger at 140,000, which makes the imprisonment statistics even more unbelievable.

Your “census” of Albanians in the UK is ridiculous. You claim there are 53,000. In reality, the number is much higher – several times that. But let’s stick to your source: The Telegraph, which first announced the “one in 50” theory and then admitted it itself:

The analysis likely underestimated the size of the Albanian population, as it does not include illegal migrants, including over 12,000 who arrived in small boats in 2022. Some estimates suggest that the true Albanian population could be as low as 140,000 – meaning that less than one in 100 is in prison ,” Rama replied to the English MP with an AI photo. 

Rama's approach as a propaganda tool at home and abroad 

In his reaction to Nigel Farage's statements, Rama chose to orient himself towards a nationalist narrative, which he uses to secure support not only within the country, but also from the Albanian diaspora in Britain and beyond.

This is because he described Albanians as honest and hardworking people, contradicting Farage's negative descriptions. 

In this debate, it seems that Rama exploited the sense of national pride to strengthen his image as a leader who represents all Albanians, regardless of location.