However, the New Labour Government was forced to reverse its 2002 decision in 2005 by the EU under a European law that granted a right for asylum seekers to apply for permission to work after 12 months.
Lord Cameron’s coalition Government restricted it to shortage occupations in 2010 – an approach confirmed in reviews by Theresa May in 2018 and Boris Johnson in 2021.
Whether Mr Farruku was aware that he could apply for permission to work after a year is not known. But his sister Jola Dushku, 33, who lives in Lombardia in Italy, said: “He came to the UK with the dream to find better work and, most importantly, to get indefinite leave to remain in the UK.”
Friends have told The Telegraph that he spurned their advice to work in the black economy because, he told them, he was “going to do things properly”.
“To achieve indefinite leave to remain, Leonard wanted to fulfil all the Home Office requests. His sister said he’d replied, “Yes when they told him his new accommodation would be in that boat where he spent the last days of his life”.
Born in the rural north of Albania, he moved to Tirana as a teenager where he worked as a pizza delivery driver. Having lost his father and mother, he decided to come to the UK, telling relatives he wanted to open a music studio and write a book.
His solicitor and the Home Office say they cannot disclose his asylum claim due to client confidentiality. Eighty per cent of Albanian asylum claims are rejected. The remaining 15 per cent relate to women or girls who are victims of trafficking, and 5 per cent are men, largely owing to evidence of threats to life if they returned.
Police and the Home Office have been investigating his death. His family hope the inquest, this summer, will explain why he apparently took his own life just days after being allowed to work.
Marenglen Farruku, his cousin, said: “He went there for a better life. He never showed any sign of distress. There are so many unanswered questions about what has happened there.”
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
