ShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleChris Mason,Political editorandImogen WallaceReutersAndy Burnham speaks during his campaign launch for the Makerfield by-electionAndy 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, Home Office 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".
But some Labour MPs, including former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, have described the retrospective nature of the proposals as "un-British" and a case of "moving the goalposts".
Burnham highlighted the consultation on the home secretary's plans, adding: "We'll have to work hard to get the balance right, but the broad thrust of what she's doing is right."
Settlement, also known as indefinite leave to remain, gives a person the right to live, work and study in the UK for as long as they like and apply for benefits if they are eligible.
The Home Office has forecast that around 1.6m people could settle between 2026 and 2030 if no changes are made.
Burnham is seeking a return to Westminster by contesting the by-election in the Greater Manchester constituency.
He is widely expected to challenge Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership, should he become an MP.
Speaking at his campaign launch on Friday, Burnham said a vote for him is a "vote to change Labour" and ensure voters get "the party back they used to know".
Sir Keir has faced intense speculation about his future following Labour's poor election results earlier this month.
But he has defied calls from dozens of his MPs to step down, with no formal challenge launched against him.
Sir Keir has said he will be out campaigning for Burnham in the by-election, adding it is a "straight fight between Labour and Reform".
Reform UK candidate Robert Kenyon, a councillor and self-employed plumber who came second to Labour in 2024, said Makerfield "isn't a stepping stone" for him.
He made the remark on X as he posted video of him driving in his van with Reform leader Nigel Farage.
Kenyon told Farage that Labour has taken voters in the area "for granted", adding the "safe seats are massively under threat".
On Friday, the Liberal Democrats said councillor Jake Austin has been selected as its candidate.
The Green Party intend to make a decision on a replacement candidate on Monday after their initial choice withdrew hours after he was announced.
A full list of the parties who have so far announced their candidates for the Makerfield by-election can be found here.
