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BORIS Johnson faces a furious revolt from northern cities over No10 plans to keep some in the coronavirus blockade longer than others.
Under the prime minister’s plan to end the nation’s virtual house arrest, the entire nation will see tough restrictions begin to ease at the same time, with the end of May as a goal.
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But Downing Street confirmed yesterday that they could quickly re-assert themselves in areas that see new local spikes of infection.
The movement to select specific cities has sparked the ire of the nation’s nine regional mayors.
El Sol may reveal that powerful mayors staged a joint protest to the prime minister during a conference call with him last week, led by chiefs from across the north.
They argued that leaving some parts of the country unable to keep up with others in the national recovery would be “unsustainable” and also “deeply divisive and unfair.”
Many cities in the north already suffer from a north-south economic gap that Boris promised to “level up” as part of his general election offer.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said: “There is a message I would give the government: do not consider a region-by-region liberation, as that would be chaotic.
“I still hear it float, but I am very opposed, as I just don’t see how the country could cope with that kind of deal.”
‘NATIONAL RAISED’
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Speaking in solidarity with his colleagues from the north, West Midlands Mayor Tory Andy Street also told The Sun: “Every region is experiencing the same devastating effects of the coronavirus, and any approach to lifting the blockade must be national.
In fact, one of the key lessons we have learned from the blockade is that a simple national message has the best chance of being effective.
“The people of the West Midlands will have a hard time supporting the orientation that treats them differently than anywhere else.”
Fears deepened over longer blockades for some cities, as it emerged yesterday that the crisis in London, where the outbreak began, could end earlier than in other parts of the country.
Fewer people were treated at the hospital with Covid-19 in the capital than in the northwest for the second consecutive day.
Last night, Downing Street figures argued that regional blockades could be at a very micro level, such as only on a handful of streets in a city where an outbreak was detected.
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SABBATICAL
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A leading source No10 said yesterday: “The blockade will not be lifted at the regional level. It will be lifted at the national level.
“But what could happen if there are peaks in the regions of the country, could impose restrictions at the regional level.
“If you see an increase in transmissions more regionally, you would want to move more quickly to stop them.”
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