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Boris Johnson last night offered Greater Manchester tens of millions of pounds in additional support if the region agrees to accept the strictest level of lockdown restrictions.
Taking a “carrot and stick” approach, the government yesterday publicly criticized Labor Mayor Andy Burnham while privately offering him additional financial aid.
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove lashed out at the Mayor of Greater Manchester, warning that his ‘stance’ would cost lives in a city that has one of the highest Covid-19 rates in the country.
A group of women in Manchester sing as the curfew approached at 10pm last night. The city has one of the highest Covid-19 rates in the country.
He told Sky News: ‘I want you to put aside for a moment some of the political positions that you have indulged in and I want you to work with us to ensure that we save lives and protect the NHS.
“Instead of press conferences and positions, what we need is action to save lives.”
But hours later, the prime minister’s senior adviser, Sir Edward Lister, held talks with Burnham in which he is said to have made a significant new financial offer.
Whitehall sources said the cash could amount to “tens of millions” of pounds to help ensure compliance with the swinging Level Three restrictions ministers want to introduce.
Taking a ‘carrot and stick’ approach, the government yesterday publicly criticized Labor Mayor Andy Burnham (pictured) while offering him additional financial help in private.
The offer is in line with deals reached with Merseyside and Lancashire, which have been awarded an additional £ 30 million in recent days to help support businesses and jobs.
But it does not meet Burnham’s demand that the leave plan be fully expanded to provide 80 percent of the wages for those unable to work.
Its replacement, the Job Support Scheme, will provide just 66 percent of salaries, though ministers insist the underpaid will also receive universal credit reloads.
Burnham’s office last night described the conversations with Sir Edward as “constructive”, and the mayor was expected to consult with other local leaders overnight.
Downing Street indicated last week that Greater Manchester would be forced to enter Level Three regardless of today.
Boris Johnson last night offered Greater Manchester tens of millions of pounds in additional support if the region agrees to accept the strictest level of lockdown restrictions.
But last night it seemed that the ministers were willing to take a little more time to try to close a deal.
Gove yesterday declined to comment when it was suggested that Greater Manchester would be at Level Three starting today.
Ministers fear compliance with the new restrictions will be low if Burnham and other local leaders reject the crackdown, although Greater Manchester police confirmed last night that officers would enforce the new regulations, which likely include pub closures.
Yesterday, Gove contrasted Burnham’s hardline stance with that of the Merseyside and Lancashire leaders, who reluctantly agreed to enter Level Three.
South Yorkshire is also believed to be close to agreeing to a Tier Three restriction and support package.
But attempts to isolate Burnham politically have been undermined by support from local Conservative MPs, who also oppose new restrictions in the region.
Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Conservative Parliamentary Committee, said that politicians across Greater Manchester were “quite united” against the plans.
He told the BBC’s Broadcasting House program that local MPs and council leaders “had not been given the evidence that it would be effective.”
He added: “We see no reason to receive that significant economic impact, especially if it doesn’t come with full compensation for the economic impact when there is no evidence to show why it might work.”
Official data shows that the seven-day moving average of coronavirus cases in Greater Manchester has declined in recent days
And he warned the prime minister not to impose the restrictions, adding: “If you have a situation where MPs, council leaders and the mayor are standing up for the people they represent, it would be unwise to impose it on their heads.” ‘
Carl Heneghan, director of the Center for Evidence-based Medicine at the University of Oxford, also questioned the value of new measures in Greater Manchester at this stage.
Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, he said that average cases in the city had dropped by 20 percent in the first week of October, suggesting that the measures might be working.
“If politics continues to intervene at the first sight of increasing cases, we will never know if any intervention has worked,” he said. “The time has come to follow the data, look at trends and slow down your thinking.”
Burnham acknowledged that the region was facing a “ serious situation ”, but accused the prime minister of having been involved in an “ exaggeration ” of the severity of Covid-19 in the region, saying that the occupation of beds in intensive care still it was well below its April peak.
Meanwhile, the latest daily figures revealed a further 16,982 laboratory-confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK. Brings the total number of cases to 722,409.
The government also said that another 67 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, as of Sunday. This brings the UK total to 43,646.
Labor: We shut down the UK over and over again
Labor plans for a temporary shutdown could cause the economy and society to shut down “multiple” times this winter, senior figures admitted yesterday.
Sir Keir Starmer last week asked Boris Johnson to impose an immediate circuit breaker lasting two to three weeks.
But Labor Party shadow Education Secretary Kate Green admitted yesterday that the shutdown, which would include the closure of shops, pubs and restaurants, could have to last more than three weeks to be effective.
And Cabinet Office shadow minister Rachel Reeves said the exercise may have to be repeated several times in the coming months.
When asked if the Labor Party agreed that the measure could be required ‘multiple’ times during the winter and spring, Ms Reeves told the BBC’s Andrew Marr program: ‘If that’s what it takes, then that’s it. the approach to be taken, because we ‘have to control this virus.
She added: ‘The tiered approach is not working. Level Two is just a holding ground before moving on to Level Three. ‘
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said yesterday he was “concerned” about the admission of Ms Reeves.
When asked if some form of national repression was inevitable, he replied: “No.”
Gove insisted it made sense to crack down on “higher incidence” areas rather than imposing blanket national restrictions, which he said would hurt the economy and provide few health benefits.
Welsh 17 Day Circuit Break
Labor leaders could put Wales in a total lockdown that would last 17 days.
Welsh Prime Minister Mark Drakeford is expected to make an announcement today.
The circuit breaker would operate from 6 p.m. Friday through the evening of November 8.
A leaked letter from the Welsh Passenger Transport Confederation suggested that the green light had already been given.
He said the restrictions “will bring us back to the situation in March.” Elementary schools would reopen after midterm, but high schools could remain closed during the closure.
