Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, is publicly supporting a stringent immigration policy advocated by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, which aims to extend the qualification period for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from five to ten years. This controversial proposal, which may also apply retrospectively to around 2.2 million migrants who arrived since 2021, has sparked backlash from Labour MPs, including Angela Rayner, who described it as 'un-British'. Burnham's stance is seen as a strategic move to counter the Reform UK party in the upcoming Makerfield by-election, scheduled for June 18. Polls suggest a tight race, with Burnham's Labour party facing significant competition from Reform UK, which has labeled him 'open borders Burnham'. Recent data from YouGov indicates that Labour lost four times as many voters to the Green Party compared to Reform in the recent local elections, highlighting potential vulnerabilities for Burnham. Furthermore, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal that UK net migration fell to 171,000 last year, the lowest since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating shifting dynamics in public sentiment regarding immigration.