Andy Burnham is supporting Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's controversial immigration changes, according to allies, dealing a blow to Labour members hoping to soften the measures. The Greater Manchester mayor is understood to back efforts to limit both legal and illegal migration, despite criticism from some senior Labour MPs who have described the policies as un-British and reminiscent of Donald Trump.
Burnham, who faces a tough by-election in Makerfield against Reform UK, is keen to reframe the reforms rather than oppose them. A source close to his campaign said: 'For Andy, migration is a moral issue... showing people who’ve lost faith in politics that we do have control and we can do good.' The source added that a positive narrative on migration's contribution requires public trust in border control.
The home secretary's package includes scrapping permanent refugee status, doubling the time to achieve settled status from five to ten years, and removing support from asylum seekers deemed not to need it. Mahmood has warned Labour MPs that opposing her could lead to a government led by Nigel Farage deporting refugees 'to certain death'.
Critics include Sarah Owen, who said deporting children mimicked US immigration detention, and former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who called retrospective changes to indefinite leave to remain 'un-British'. Despite this, Burnham's allies—including Anneliese Midgley and Louise Haigh—are running his campaign. YouGov polling shows Labour members are divided, with over half supporting the reforms.
