Government 'carefully considering next steps' after failing to reach deal with Manchester over tier 3 restrictions

The Government is "carefully considering next steps" after failing to reach an agreement with northern leaders over Tier 3 restrictions in Greater Manchester.

Ministers have clashed with northern leaders over the terms under which people in Manchester will face tougher coronavirus restrictions.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the Commons during a statement on Monday that the Government is “working hard” to secure a Tier 3 deal with Greater Manchester.

A Government spokesman later confirmed that a deal had not been reached.

“A meeting between government and local leaders in Greater Manchester has concluded this afternoon following discussions throughout last week, over the weekend and this morning on measures necessary to protect the public," said the Government spokesman.

“Disappointingly, we have still not been able to reach an agreement.

“This is particularly concerning against the backdrop of rising cases and hospitalisations in Greater Manchester. We are carefully considering next steps.”

Mr Hancock said there are “early signs” the restrictions in the North East are starting to work, before urging caution.

He told MPs: “The message to everybody in the North East is there are early signs this is starting to work but we’re not there yet.

“So let’s all stick with it, work together, support each other, support the NHS and absolutely we will bring in the economic support to ensure both we help businesses as much as possible, help employers and help individuals through this crisis and then the levelling up agenda after that is something that is vital to unite the whole country.”

Conservative minister Sir Graham Brady said many are “sceptical” that closing pubs, bingo halls and gyms will make a “significant difference” to the spread of Covid-19.

The Health Secretary, in his reply, further encouraged Greater Manchester to move to Tier 3, noting: “I know he requires further persuasion that some of the actions that appear to be starting to work elsewhere should be put in place.”

Mr Hancock said work to “level off” the infections in Bolton took place earlier this year but the rate started to increase when stricter measures were removed.

During his speech, the Health Secretary warned that coronavirus is "on the offensive" as deaths in the UK have doubled in the last 12 days.

He told ministers that as winter approaches, the situation with the pandemic "remains perilous".

“Weekly deaths in Europe have increased by 33 per cent and here in the UK deaths have tragically doubled in the last 12 days," said Mr Hancock.

He added that there is “growing evidence of the debilitating consequences of long Covid” and warned of increasing rates of the virus among older people in the UK.

“Cases continue to rise among the over-60s, who are the most likely to end up in hospital or worse," said Mr Hancock.

“I’m very worried that the cases per 100,000 among the over-60s is 401 in the Liverpool City Region, 241 in Lancashire and in Greater Manchester has risen over the past week from 171 to 283.”

He later added: “Following the successful introduction of measures in Liverpool and Lancashire, talks are continuing this afternoon led by (the Communities Secretary) with Greater Manchester, and this week further discussions are planned with South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, the North East and Teesside.”

During his speech Mr Hancock also said the Government is “ramping up our ability” to produce the next generation of Covid-19 tests.

He told the Commons: “We are working hard to discover and evaluate new testing technologies that are simpler and faster and cheaper.

“Some of these tests can produce a result as quickly as in 15 minutes and we will make them available to local directors of public health as part of our strategy for local action, starting with areas in the very high alert level.

“We’re rolling them out across hospitals and across care homes to test patients and residents yet more regularly to keep people safe and for schools and universities so that we can keep education open safely through the winter.

“These tests shave shown real promise and we’re both buying them now and ramping up our ability to produce them at scale right here in the UK.”

Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth hit back by accusing the Government of shrugging its shoulders over difficulties with the NHS Test and Trace system.

Mr Ashworth said: “Contacts must be traced quickly and those who are traced be given support to isolate, yet we have to be frank, (it is) a badly designed system failing to trace sufficient contacts, costing £12 billion and paying consultants £7,000 a day.

“Now the minister for the Cabinet Office (Michael Gove) justified the failing when on (the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show) yesterday, saying that the virus is accelerating and that when the virus is accelerating, quote ‘any test and trace system of whatever kind has less utility’.

“So after spending £12 billion, ministers now just shrug their shoulders and say, ‘well the virus is accelerating so contact tracing is less useful’. It’s simply not good enough.”

Meanwhile infections rose by 18,804 on Monday, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to 741,212.

A further 80 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, as of Monday. This brings the UK total to 43,726.

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