Burnham ‘backs Mahmood over migration crackdown’ ahead of by-election race with Reform UK
Andy Burnham is backing Shabana Mahmood’s hardline efforts to block immigration in a bid to win votes from Reform UK supporters, his allies say.
The mayor of Greater Manchester reportedly wants to “reframe” the home secretary’s changes but supports attempts to restrict legal and illegal immigration, according to sources in his team.
Next month’s by-elections in Makerfield are expected to be a close contest between Mr Burnham and Reform UK, which made council gains in the last local elections.
Reform has previously called him “open-border Andy” but those close to his campaign said Guard He will not want to ease the government’s restrictions on immigration.
The Home Office’s reforms to immigration rules under Ms Mahmood include ending the right to permanent refugee status and new settlement rules for people arriving in the UK since 2021.
Under the plans, the default qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) will be increased from five to 10 years, and migrants will only be eligible for benefits and social housing if they become British citizens.
Later, asylum seekers whose countries are deemed safe will also be asked to leave the country.
And people in the country illegally may have to wait up to 30 years for long-term residence in the UK.
But the government could face pressure from Labor supporters to abandon its reforms after new figures are expected to show net migration has fallen to its lowest level since the pandemic.
“For Andy, immigration is as much a moral issue as anything, showing people who have lost faith in politics that we are in control and can do good,” a source said.
“We need to tell a positive story about immigration’s contribution to our country, but we can’t do that unless people trust that the people they vote for have control over our borders.”
Labor MP Andy McDonald previously said: “There is something inherently un-British about changing the ILR eligibility period retrospectively, which will cause major upheaval for workers who have come and settled here at our request.”
Migration expert Dr. from Oxford University Migration Observatory. Ben Brindle said the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics could show net migration falling below 200,000 for the first time since March 2021. But the decline is expected to be only temporary, he said.
If he returns to Westminster, Mr Burnham is expected to challenge Sir Keir Starmer as Labor leader and prime minister; because the prime minister had garnered great support as he faced increasing criticism.
A source close to his campaign said: “Immigration is the second most important issue here. He must show decisive leadership on this issue and reframe but support reforms to restore control over our borders and create a robust but fair immigration system.”
But key figures in Labour’s Blue Labor movement have publicly backed the home secretary as the party’s next leader; This was a blow to Mr. Burnham’s leadership ambitions.
Independent He appealed to Mr. Burnham’s spokesman. A spokesman for Ms Mahmood declined to comment Guard.
