Is Greater Manchester about to go into tier three restrictions? That’s the hope in government following a week of negotiations, a war of words playing out in the media and internal Tory division. Metro mayor Andy Burnham — known in some parts of the internet as the ‘king of the north’ — has been resisting pressure from No. 10 to move to ‘very high risk’, complaining that the financial support is lacking.
There is a determination in No. 10 to stick with the localised approach rather than move — as Burnham and Keir Starmer have suggested — to nationwide measures. To do that, the government is now offering extra funding and there’s a sense in Whitehall that the situation could be resolved sooner rather than later.
Part of the government’s difficulty throughout the process is that the objections have not just been coming from Labour politicians alone. Greater Manchester Tory MPs have broadly supported Burnham’s efforts — whether it’s because they want more funding or simply view it as a way to fight tighter restrictions. This has made it harder to dismiss the mayor of party politics. Though government officials complain Burnham has been hard to pin down when it comes to talks.
The episode has also proved damaging to Conservative party morale — with a north-south rift forming. MPs from seats in the south of England under tier one penned a ‘dear colleague’ letter calling on Manchester politicians to work with the government. It went down like a cup of cold sick with those on the receiving end and insults have since flown over WhatsApp. However, this is a taste of things to come. The regional approach of the government means that rows over funding and restriction discrepancies are inevitable.
Now listen to today’s Coffee House Shots, with Cindy Yu, Katy Balls and James Forsyth discussing the negotiations.
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