Labour wants to fast-track asylum cases from ‘safe’ countries to clear backlog

Shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, says she would prioritise applications from countries such as Albania

Labour would rush through asylum applications for people from certain countries deemed safe", including Albania, in an attempt to clear the backlog of claims, Yvette Cooper has said.

The shadow home secretary said she wanted to resurrect a system Labour operated while in government, in which the Home Office prioritised claims from certain countries and processed them within days.