STORY
Andy Burnham has stepped back from earlier calls to abolish the no recourse to public funds rule as scrutiny grows over his policy positions during the Makerfield by-election campaign. The rule prevents many people who move to the UK from accessing benefits or public housing before they are granted settled status.
Burnham had previously called for the policy to be abolished and had supported changes to give non-UK nationals facing homelessness at least a minimum safety net. His allies now say he supports an immigration system based on both control and compassion and broadly backs the direction of the Home Secretary’s proposed reforms, while wanting consultation on complex areas such as settled status rules.
The shift matters because the Makerfield contest is widely seen as a test of Labour’s future direction as well as a by-election. Burnham has presented his candidacy as a chance to change Labour if he returns to Westminster, while immigration remains a central political issue in Labour’s contest with Reform UK.