Government U-Turns Again By Reversing Plans To Ease Local Lockdowns In Manchester
The government has performed another U-turn and reversed plans to ease local lockdowns in Greater Manchester.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said following a “significant change” in the level of coronavirus infection rates in the last few days, Bolton and Trafford would remain under existing restrictions.
It came after Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said easing the guidance restricting social gatherings in people’s homes would be “completely illogical”.
And it came after the government overruled Trafford Council to lift the lockdown there, and was accused of pandering to Tory MPs with the plans to ease restrictions in certain areas.
It marks the government’s 12th policy U-turn since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and will only increase the pressure on Boris Johnson, who has been warned by his own MPs to “get a grip” and faces a crunch meeting of the 1922 committee of backbench Tories later on Wednesday.
The meeting will be hosted by 1922 chair Sir Graham Brady, who had backed the decision to ease the restrictions in his Altrincham and Sale West constituency in Trafford.
Tory MP for Bolton West Chris Green meanwhile said he was “disappointed” by the move.
Despite what I and local press understood, Bolton is being kept in local lockdown. I'm disappointed at how this important decision has been communicated because of the impact this will have on people's lives.
— Chris Green (@CGreenUK) September 2, 2020
Earlier, work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey was forced to defend the government’s decision to lift restrictions in the two boroughs, and the swift reversal will increase anxiety among Tory MPs who are forced to defend policy only for it to be scrapped later.
At prime minister’s questions, Labour leader Keir Starmer said even Tory MPs have “run out of patience”.
He said: “It’s mess after mess, his own MPs, U-turn after U-turn, it’s...
