Andy Burnham's plan to make wealthy areas accept more migrants has been dubbed a punishment to the middle class. Last night the Prime Minister said arrivals should not just be placed in the "poorest communities" when being questioned about the controversial 1,200-strong migrant camp near the Oxfordshire village of Piddington, where residents say it will overwhelm the current population of 400.
PM says every community must play its part
He said every community will have to play their part, after the number of Channel crossings under his premiership passed the 3,000 mark, following the arrival of the 'mega-dinghy' on Monday, carrying 230 people. In comparison, Keir Starmer's first 22 days as PM saw 2,258 people on small boats cross into the UK.
Mr Burnham told GB News: "I will listen to what people are saying and respond to the concerns that they are putting forward. I don't know the issue yet in detail, but in some ways, as I understand it, it is about creating secure space."
Conservatives condemn plan
He added: "It's obviously going to be challenging, but I am prepared always to listen to people, to work with people and to pick up legitimate concerns, and I will address those concerns. I do have to say, we cannot have a situation where it's only the poorest communities in the country that receive all of the dispersal of refugees and asylum seekers. I do believe all parts of the country need to work, to play their part. We understand people's concerns and I will look into the issues raised by the good people of Piddington."
However, it has caused outrage among the Conservatives, with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp saying Andy Burnham is "planning to dish out another vindictive punishment beating to the UK's middle classes". He continued: "Labour has hammered hard-working families with punitive tax increases galore, increased regulation and soaring energy bills." He said the PM plans to "deliberately flood more neighbourhoods with thousands of illegal immigrants who he has let into this country".
Arrivals data and context
The Prime Minister has vowed to change tack to tackle the smuggling gangs that extort people for a seat on incredibly dangerous dinghys to cross the channel. He said Labour will be "relentless in chasing them down".
The number of small boat arrivals has increased substantially since 2018, according to the Migration Observatory. One of the highest peaks was in the year ending October 2022 when the Tories were in power, with more than 48,000 arrivals. In the year ending 31 May 2026, a total of around 36,000 people arrived by small boat, 13% less than in the same period a year before.
The number of people claiming asylum in the UK has increased sharply since 2020, reaching 101,000 in 2025. Only part of this growth is explained by people crossing the Channel by small boat. Data show that a large proportion of asylum seekers – 39% of those applying in 2025 – travelled to the UK legally on a work, study, visitor, or other visa.
