Andy Burnham has signalled he will give asylum seekers the right to work, despite warnings it will make the UK a greater magnet for small-boat migrants.

The would-be prime minister said it was wrong for asylum seekers to be 'left in limbo' while their cases are assessed – and suggested they should be given a 'route to work'.

It could allow more than 100,000 to take a job, including tens of thousands who crossed the Channel illegally.

Zia Yusuf, Reform UK's home affairs spokesman, described it as a 'boneheaded proposal' that will create 'yet another massive incentive for people to come here illegally'. Mr Yusuf added: 'So more small boats and more people gaming the system.'

He said those entering the UK illegally would be 'detained and deported immediately' under a Reform government, with no right to claim asylum.

Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'Andy Burnham is clearly an open borders fanatic. 

'Most asylum seekers are illegal immigrants, letting them work will make the UK even more of a magnet than it is already.

'Illegal immigrants from across Europe will flock to the UK in even greater numbers if they know they can work here. What's the point of having rules for work visas if illegal immigrants can just circumvent them?'

He added: 'We should be deporting illegal immigrants, not letting them work. Andy Burnham is clearly just as soft and weak as [Keir] Starmer.'

Most asylum seekers have been barred from working in the UK since 2002, under rules brought in by the last Labour government.

Lifting the ban has been a fashionable cause for Left-wing MPs for years, with supporters claiming it would enable asylum seekers to contribute through taxes.

But the Home Office has consistently warned it would increase the 'pull factors' attracting illegal migrants.

Mr Burnham has previously joined calls to lift the ban, telling The Big Issue in 2023 the 'world has changed' since the restriction was brought in.

He said at the time: 'I think there is increasingly the case, given the nature of the labour market, to let people work while waiting on their outcomes. The Home Office would always say there's a pull factor. But I'm not convinced any more about that.

'I don't think you can reduce support and not let people help themselves. I think we need a public debate about that issue. I think there's more public support for it than people might realise.'

In an interview with The Guardian yesterday, Mr Burnham indicated he continues to support the move, saying it is wrong for people to be 'left in limbo'. 

But aides declined to comment on precisely what he plans to do if he enters No10 in the coming weeks.

The Greater Manchester mayor has toned down some of his views on migration since launching his Makerfield by-election campaign.

He previously backed calls to allow migrants to claim benefits once they set foot in the UK, but allies said he no longer supports it.

He has also toned down his criticism of plans to make it harder for migrants to secure permanent leave to remain. 

Mr Burnham insisted he would not 'shy away' from concerns about small-boat crossings, but he has so far given no detailed plan of what he would do to strengthen the UK's borders if he becomes prime minister.