Andy Burnham demands Labour ‘go further’ to tackle Britain’s illegal migrant crisis

Andy Burnham has urged Labour to "go further" in tackling Britain's illegal migration crisis ahead of next week's crunch by-election in Makerfield.

The Greater Manchester Mayor said voters increasingly feel "the country isn't functioning properly" and warned that small boat crossings were damaging trust in politics.

Mr Burnham also said he agreed with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage that Britain needed to restore a sense of order to the immigration system.

The Labour leadership hopeful previously affirmed that he "agreed" with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's overhaul of the asylum system, adding she was "right to grasp this nettle and have root and branch reform of the system".

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Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, he said: "It's this thing about control, isn't it? It feels like the country isn't functioning properly, running things properly and the small boats issue completely speaks to that. People want it to be dealt with. We do need to go further."

The former Cabinet minister said people with no legitimate basis to remain in Britain should be detained and removed more quickly.

He said: "We need to make greater use of detention so that people who have got no basis for a claim are not actually admitted into the country."

Mr Burnham argued that failed asylum claims should be processed more rapidly to allow speedier returns.

He added: "So that's dealt with quickly and there's a speedier return. It is something that has to be gripped and gripped properly. Because it is about trust in politics and it is one of those things that is fraying that trust to a degree."

Mr Burnham also criticised the way asylum seekers are dispersed around the country, arguing that poorer communities shoulder a disproportionate share of the burden.

He said: "I have long argued it is not right that the Home Office just goes to the areas where housing is lower cost and overly uses those areas when it comes to asylum dispersal."

Mr Burnham insisted that all parts of the country should play a role in housing asylum seekers.

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He said: "I have argued strongly repeatedly that all areas of the country should play a role. It's not right that the Home Office just comes to more deprived areas of the country."

Pointing to his experience as immigration minister under Sir Tony Blair's administration, Mr Burnham said: "We did get a grip on the system at that point in time. This Government is getting more of a grip but it does need to go further."

Mr Burnham also criticised the Home Office for failing to properly consult local authorities before placing asylum seekers in their areas.

He said: "Local authorities are often just not consulted at all. The Home Office just does what it wants. I haven't proposed directly that local authorities should take control. They must be notified and properly consulted."

He also backed the creation of safe and legal routes while continuing efforts to tackle Channel crossings.

"There should be safe routes for people. What people don't want to see is the chaos of the small boat crossings. I think the Government is getting some order back into the system but there is definitely more to be done," the Greater Manchester Mayor added.

However, Mr Burnham also voiced concerns about aspects of the Government's asylum reforms.

He said: "I do have a concern about leaving people without the ability to settle, one of the concerns being if there is a need to constantly check up on the status of countries where people have come from, that might limit the ability of the Home Office to deal with the backlog."

His comments come just days after he signalled support for asylum seekers being given the right to work as Britain continues to battle a youth unemployment crisis.

While the Greater Manchester Mayor was clear he would not "shy away" from concerns over small-boat crossings, Mr Burnham said too many people were being left "in limbo".

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