UK Coronavirus Live: Greater Manchester to Present Breaking Plan to Johnson; 59,079 deaths involved Covid | Politics

Good Morning. There are three hours left until we reach the deadline set by the government for the end of talks with Greater Manchester leaders on an agreement on moving the region to very high alert level 3, which would mean that it would be subject to the strictest. Covid regulations. If there is no agreement, the government threatens to impose those rules unilaterally.

Here is an excerpt from the statement issued by Robert jenrick, the secretary of communities, last night.

There are currently more Covid-19 patients in Greater Manchester hospitals than in the entire Southwest and South East combined. But sadly, despite acknowledging the seriousness of the situation, local leaders have so far been unwilling to take the necessary measures to control this situation. I have written to local leaders tonight to make it clear that if we cannot reach an agreement by noon tomorrow, I must warn the Prime Minister that despite our best efforts, we have not been able to reach an agreement. It is not too late for local leaders to work with us to act for the good of the people of Greater Manchester.

Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, gave interviews this morning. My colleagues Helen Pidd Y Josh halliday Summarize the situation in your story this morning.

Burnham is speaking to Greater Manchester council leaders this morning and said he would recommend they send a counter offer to the government. He said:

We have never been given a figure for that additional support. So what I am going to propose to the Greater Manchester leaders, when we meet this morning quite early, is that we write to the government with what we think is a fair figure, given that we have been under restrictions for three months and that has taken a real cost to people and businesses here.

The second thing we would need is full flexibility to support the people we think will need support under a level 3 lockdown.

Today some sort of resolution seems likely, and we may be told by Boris Johnson, who is rumored to be planning an afternoon press conference.

Here is the agenda for the day.

9.30 am: The ONS publishes its weekly death figures for England and Wales.

9.30 am: The Commons health committee takes evidence from health professionals about staff burnout on the NHS.

11.30 am: Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, answers questions in the Commons.

12:00 h: Downing Street is expected to hold its daily lobby briefing.

12:15 pm: Nicola Sturgeon, the Prime Minister of Scotland, will hold her regular briefing on the coronavirus.

1.30 pm: Mark Drakeford takes questions from the Prime Minister in the Senedd (Assembly of Wales).

Late: Boris Johnson can hold a press conference. No 10 hasn’t confirmed this, but posted it on Twitter this morning, which is usually a sign that a press conference is coming.

Politics Live has doubled as the UK’s coronavirus live blog for some time and given the way the Covid crisis overshadows everything, this will continue for the foreseeable future. But we’ll also cover non-Covid political stories, like Brexit, and when they seem more important or interesting, they will take precedence.

Here’s our global coronavirus live blog.

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