Andy Burnham pulled his punches in an interview with the Today programme on Thursday morning.
He was on the programme to plug a new £1bn growth plan for Greater Manchester that will attempt to funnel investment to more neglected parts of the city.
But Burnham – the most popular Labour politician in the country – was quickly asked about his views on national politics.
Yesterday the Labour MP Clive Lewis said he would be willing to give up his parliamentary seat if Burnham could replace him and thereby run for the party leadership.
Burnham said of Lewis’s comments: “I appreciate the support but I couldn’t have brought forward a plan of the kind that I’ve brought forward today without being fully focussed on my role of mayor of Greater Manchester”.
He claimed his round of national media appearances today, the first since Labour Party conference, was “helpful to the Government right now, and we’re doing this in advance of the Budget I hope to really bring to life the growth story for the Government”.
Asked about Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s proposed changes to the asylum system, Burnham said she was right to suggest reforms but criticised some of the details. He aligned himself with a number of Labour MPs who are uncomfortable with the new 20-year qualification period for permanent settlement.
Burnham said: “I agree that Shabana Mahmood is right to grasp this nettle and have root and branch reform of the system. I agree with that, but I do have a concern about leaving people without the ability to settle – one of the concerns being that if there’s a need to constantly check up on the status of countries where people are, have come from, that might limit the ability of the Home Office to deal with the backlog and it also may leave people in a sense of limbo and unable to integrate.”
“I’m not going to say that the Home Secretary is wrong to call for this level of change. What I would say is it’s really important, on the back of the measures that she’s announced, that there is a considered debate, time is taken to see if consensus can be built around it because actually that would be hugely valuable to the country if that could be secured.”
He continued: “I have concerns about that particular element of the plans, I think it will leave people in a position where they don’t know whether they’re staying or potentially leaving, particularly in situations where people are wanting to work, wanting to contribute. I think it would be better to stick with the decision of long-term leave to remain.”
“From my point of view there are other major changes though that the system needs. I think on accommodation the Home Secretary is right to look at that, I think they need to work more through local areas, local authorities, restore more local consultation to the system.”
After questions about the party leadership, Burnham ended the interview on a familiar theme, telling Today’s Emma Barnett: “I think part of the country’s problem is the political culture of Westminster, which is playing out in front of us right now.”
[Further reading: Exclusive: Andy Burnham’s plan for Britain]
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