UK war general tasked with stopping Albanian Channel crossings

Claims have been made that 11 Albanians were flown out of the UK last week shortly after arriving in Britain on small boats. (Reuters/File)

• Lt. Gen. Stuart Skeates is expected to work with the Albanian government to help tackle the trafficking gangs

LONDON: With Albanians now accounting for between 50 and 60 percent of illegal migrants crossing the English Channel, the UK has thrown a vastly experienced general into the fray.
Lt. Gen. Stuart Skeates, who fought in the Afghanistan War, has been appointed to stem the surge in Albanian migrants, according to The Telegraph.
The general, who also served in the Gulf War and Bosnian War, has become the Prime Minister’s and Home Secretary’s special coordinator on illegal Albanian migration.
He is expected to work with the Albanian government to help tackle the trafficking gangs behind the surge of up to 10,000 Albanians who have crossed the Channel this year.
Britain has signed a deal with Albania to fast-track deportations of foreign criminals to the Balkan state, and Albanian police officers are stationed in Dover to help carry out ID and criminal checks on Channel migrants.
Skeates’ appointment coincides with the first fast-track deportation of Albanian small boat migrants who were removed from Britain within days of arriving across the Channel.
The 12 Albanians were sent home on a charter plane after refusing to claim asylum in a move that the Home Office hopes will act as a deterrent to their countrymen seeking to come to the UK illegally.
The general is the second person with a military background to take a senior role in tackling the Channel migrants. Dan O’Mahoney, a former Royal Marine, was appointed clandestine Channel threat commander in 2020.