Sir Keir Starmer demands Commons vote on Tier 3 financial support - as Matt Hancock says 'door is still open' for Greater Manchester talks

Matt Hancock has insisted that the Government's "door is open" for further talks with Greater Manchester leaders over financial support for Tier 3 restrictions.

On Tuesday the city's mayor Andy Burnham accused ministers of "walking away" from talks over a funding package, and said £65 million was the "bare minimum" that was needed.

It soon emerged that the region would get only £22 million and be forced into Tier 3 restrictions on Friday - details that local leaders learned by email during a live press conference .

In response, Sir Keir Starmer has demanded a Commons vote on a “fair one nation deal" for areas entering the strictest measures.

The Labour leader called on MPs to back a motion demanding “the Government guarantees people faced with hardship who are subject to the Job Retention Scheme extension will receive at least 80 per cent of their previous incomes”.

“The Conservatives have been treating local communities, particularly in the Midlands, North West and North East, and their leaders with contempt," he said.

“This is not just a matter of fairness for people in Greater Manchester, but for people across the country who could find themselves in Tier 3 in the weeks ahead.

“Families and businesses will be deeply anxious that they might not be able to make ends meet under the Government’s wholly inadequate proposals.

Earlier Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham accused the Government of "grinding communities down, through punishing financial negotiations.”.

“It’s brutal, to be honest," he said after learning of the £22 million funding offer.

"This is no way to run a country in a national crisis. It’s not right, they should not be doing this.”

While making a statement in the House of Commons, Mr Hancock said daily hospital admissions in Greater Manchester are higher now than they were at the end of March.

He said: “So we must act where the virus is spreading. In the parts of the country where it is spreading the fastest it is our sombre duty to take action necessary to protect people’s lives and protect the NHS.”

Mr Hancock added: “In Greater Manchester there have been more coronavirus infections already in October than in July, August and September combined.

“The average daily hospital admissions in Greater Manchester are now higher than they were on March 26 and there are now more Covid-19 patients in Greater Manchester hospitals than in the whole of the South West and the South East combined.”

The Health Secretary said the “door is open” to further discussions with local leaders regarding business support.

He told the Commons: “Over the last 10 days we’ve sought to reach an agreement with local leaders, and unfortunately we were not able to reach an agreement in Greater Manchester as we have previously in Lancashire and the Liverpool City Region.

“As well as the support that I’ve outlined, we’ve made a generous and extensive offer to support Manchester’s businesses. This offer was proportionate to the support that we’ve given the Liverpool City Region and Lancashire, but regrettably the mayor rejected it.

“Of course, we do not want businesses in Greater Manchester to be disadvantaged so that offer remains on the table. Our door is open to further discussions with local leaders in the coming days about business support.”

Mr Ashworth responded to the Health Secretary's statement by asking why Chancellor Rishi Sunak was not present in the Commons.

"He should be here to defend the consequences of his decisions that will mean a winter of hardship across the North," said Mr Ashworth.

“Now the leaders of Greater Manchester were prepared to compromise, they offered to settle for £65 million to support jobs and livelihoods, the Government insisted on £60 million, but rather than finding the £5 million extra, the Prime Minister pulled the plug on negotiations and then this afternoon took £38 million off the table.

“What a petty, vindictive, callous response in a national crisis. The PM may think he’s punishing the politicians, in fact he’s punishing the people of Greater Manchester.”

The Prime Minister said the tier 3 regulations will be laid in Parliament on Thursday and they will come into force on Friday, a minute after midnight.

Under the new restrictions pubs and bars will be ordered to close, unless they are serving substantial meals and households can’t mix in doors, or in most outdoor settings.

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