Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is supporting Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's controversial immigration changes, according to allies, dealing a blow to Labour figures hoping to soften the measures. Burnham is understood to be keen to reframe the reforms but backs efforts to limit legal and illegal migration, which some senior Labour MPs have criticised as un-British and reminiscent of Trump.
Burnham faces a tough by-election in Makerfield against Reform UK, which has dubbed him 'open-borders Andy'. However, campaign insiders say he will not seek to dilute the government's curbs, including ending the right to permanent refugee status. 'For Andy, migration is a moral issue... showing people who've lost faith in politics that we do have control,' a source said.
The home secretary's package includes scrapping permanent refugee status, removing support from asylum seekers deemed not to need it, and doubling the time to achieve settled status from five to 10 years. Mahmood warned Labour MPs to back her or risk a Farage-led government deporting refugees 'to certain death'.
Despite this, critics like MP Sarah Owen likened the plans to Trump's detention of migrant children, while former deputy PM Angela Rayner called retrospective changes to indefinite leave to remain 'un-British'. Burnham's allies, including MPs Anneliese Midgley and Louise Haigh, will run his campaign. YouGov polling shows over half of Labour members support the reforms, though the party remains divided.
