Coronavirus restrictions continue to spark controversy, with Manchester the latest subject of a travel ban from Scotland. Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced on Friday that all non-essential travel to Manchester and Salford would be banned from Monday.
The announcement sparked outrage from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who said neither he nor his administration had been contacted prior to the announcement.
Speaking on Sunday at the Andrew Marr Show, Mr Burnham said: ‘I was really disappointed on Friday that the Scottish Prime Minister just announced out of the blue, as far as we are concerned, a travel ban saying that people couldn’t travel from Scotland to Manchester and Salford and people couldn’t go the other way.
“This is exactly what the SNP always accuses the Westminster government of harming people.
“The SNP treats the north of England with the same contempt by bringing this without any consultation with us.”
Read more: Burnham accuses Sturgeon of treating northern England with contempt
So why did Nicola Sturgeon ban travel to Manchester?
Speaking on Friday, Ms Sturgeon highlighted several areas across England – including Manchester – as Covid hotspots and said non-essential travel to those areas was banned from Monday, June 21.
This comes despite numbers in these towns matching case rates in parts of Scotland.
During the coronavirus briefing, the Prime Minister said: ‘Anyone traveling anywhere else in the Greater Manchester or Lancashire area I would ask to think carefully about whether your trip is really necessary as we are seeing cases increase in this region. “
This means that anyone planning a holiday to Scotland from these areas will have to rethink their plans.
Responding to the travel ban, Mr Burnham said he would seek financial compensation for his constituents who planned to travel north of the border from the Scottish government.
He said: “I will write to the Prime Minister today.
Appearing on BBC Scotland’s The Sunday Show, Scottish Government Trade Minister Ivan McKee said a decision on Covid-19 must be made quickly.
He said: “The virus, as we know, moves very quickly, decisions are made very quickly and those decisions are communicated at the level of the four nations.
“Andy Burnham … will write to the Prime Minister about it, that’s great and I’m sure there will be a conversation about how we can keep him better informed in the future.”
But Tory Leader Douglas Ross, speaking on the same show, said: ‘We know the law was passed on Thursday morning to introduce these restrictions in Greater Manchester and a travel ban, but it has not been announced that more than 24 hours later.
“If Ivan McKee says there is not enough dialogue between the British government and the Scottish government, it has been 24 hours before anyone in Greater Manchester knew of a decision made by the Scottish government a day earlier. “
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This notice was published: 2021-06-20 23:01:00
