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”.
On Thursday, Office for National Statistics data reported that migration added 171,000 people to the UK’s population last year – with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer saying there was “more to do”.
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”.
