My Albanian husband has a spouse visa. He has lost his passport with the visa in.?

He has had to leave the UK and return to Albania to obtain a new passport. He has a photocopy of his visa which is still valid, can he use the photocopy to return to the UK. What would happend once he got to immigration at the airport? He went to the embassy in Albania but they said he had to make a fresh visa application for another 2year visa, i dont understand how this can be right when his visa is still valid, cant he just be looked up on the system on arriving to the UK or will he be sent back?