Last week, Andy Burnham caused a stir at a select committee inquiry when he threatened to pull Greater Manchester out of the asylum resettlement scheme.

Mr Burnham, who is the Mayor of the combined authority, said the North West accommodates a quarter of all asylum seekers in England, of which 17% are in Greater Manchester. He added that more than 200 English authorities out of 326 are not accommodating any asylum seekers, and the resultant pressure on those who are, is just too much to bear.