Andy Burnham has said every community will have to play their part in housing asylum seekers, confirming that wealthy areas should accept more migrants so that arrivals are not just placed in the "poorest communities".
Comments on Piddington migrant camp
Speaking this week about the controversial 1,200-strong migrant camp near the Oxfordshire village of Piddington, where residents argued it would overwhelm the current population of 400, Mr Burnham told GB News: "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."
Conservative reaction
Mr Burnham's comments caused outrage among the Conservatives, with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp saying the PM was "planning to dish out another vindictive punishment beating to the UK's middle classes". He said the PM plans to "deliberately flood more neighbourhoods with thousands of illegal immigrants who he has let into this country".
Small-boat arrivals data
Small-boat arrivals began to spike from 2018, peaking in the year to October 2022 under the Tories at around 48,000. The numbers started to decline at the end of the party's tenure. Numbers started to climb again when Labour took office, according to Migration Observatory data, reaching around 45,000 in the year to October 2025 - though still lower than the 2022 spike. The numbers have started to drop more recently, with arrivals in the year ending May 31 around 23% lower than the October spike.
Piddington plans and hotel closures
The plans in Piddington - to accommodate asylum-seekers on former military bases near the village - form part of wider Labour proposals to end the use of migrant hotels. The party confirmed on Wednesday that a further 13 hotels across England had been closed, while two former military sites are already up and running: RAF Wethersfield in Essex and Crowborough Training Camp in East Sussex.
On Wednesday, Home Office minister Anna Turley confirmed Labour would push on with plans in Piddington. Mike Nixon, the vice-chairman of Piddington Parish Council, said there was a "huge amount of concern and worry" that an asylum centre would have a "dramatic effect" on the way residents lived.
