UK net migration needs to fall further, says Andy Burnham

Andy Burnham has said UK net migration "needs to fall further", after new government figures showed it had almost halved since 2024.

Labour's by-election candidate in Makerfield said people on the doorstep have "raised their concerns about immigration" with him.

He added the latest figures on net migration - the difference between those entering and leaving the country - show the "trend is significantly down".

The figure was at its lowest level since 2012, excluding the Covid pandemic.

Burnham, the current Greater Manchester mayor, also said the government must "get the balance right" on its plans to make it harder for migrants to settle permanently in the UK.

He said he "supports the broad thrust" of what Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is proposing.

Mahmood has argued the planned changes are "fair" and required to avoid a "drain on our public finances".

Burnham highlighted the consultation on the home secretary's plans, adding: "We'll have to work hard to get the balance right, but the broad thrust of what she's doing is right."

Settlement, also known as indefinite leave to remain, gives a person the right to live, work and study in the UK for as long as they like and apply for benefits if they are eligible.

The Home Office has forecast that around 1.6m people could settle between 2026 and 2030 if no changes are made.

Single-sex spaces – such as changing rooms and toilets – should be used on the basis of biological sex, according to the guidance approved by ministers.

Burnham previously said that a "small minority" have a problem with trans women - biological males who identify as women – in women's toilets.

On Friday, Burnham said he accepted the Supreme Court ruling that the definition of a woman under the Equality Act should be based on biological sex and it "has to be implemented".

He added the ruling also made clear "that this should not be a kind of victory over other people in society, and marginalised people should not be marginalised further".

Challenged on whether his position on the matter had changed, he told the BBC: "I'll be honest, yes. I've followed the debate as it's gone along over the years."

Burnham said he has "always taken a live and let live approach", adding he wants a situation that is "fair but that recognises the concerns of all people and finds the point of balance and then brings people back together".

'Safe seats under threat'

Burnham is seeking a return to Westminster by contesting the by-election in the Greater Manchester constituency.

He is widely expected to challenge Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership, should he become an MP.

Speaking at his campaign launch on Friday, Burnham said a vote for him is a "vote to change Labour" and ensure voters get "the party back they used to know".

Sir Keir has faced intense speculation about his future following Labour's poor election results earlier this month.

But he has defied calls from dozens of his MPs to step down, with no formal challenge launched against him.

Reform UK candidate Robert Kenyon, a councillor and self-employed plumber who came second to Labour in 2024, said Makerfield "isn't a stepping stone" for him.

He made the remark on X as he posted video of him driving in his van with Reform leader Nigel Farage.

Kenyon told Farage that Labour has taken voters in the area "for granted", adding the "safe seats are massively under threat".

On Friday, the Liberal Democrats said councillor Jake Austin has been selected as its candidate.