Greater Manchester gets midday ultimatum

Local leaders in Greater Manchester have until midday today to reach a deal with Westminister after a 10-day row on COVID-19 rules.

If local MPs cannot reach an agreement on coronavirus restrictions, it is thought that Downing St will forcefully impose the tier three rules.

Before the region would move into the 'very high' level of restrictions, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, urged the government to provide better financial support to those businesses that would be impacted under tier three.

Mr Burnham explained: "I think it is fair to recognise that if you put a place under restrictions for as long as we've been under restrictions it grinds people down. It pushes businesses closer to the brink."

Robert Jenrick, the local government and communities minister, has said that local leaders had been "unwilling to take the action that is required to get this situation under control".

There have been tensions growing within the northern city, as it has been under local restrictions for nearly four months already.

Mayor Burnham insists that, if in the case that no agreement was reached, he would not break the law surrounding the 'very high' level's restrictions.

He added: "But I would say to them that I don't think it will help us bring people with what they want to do to control this virus. I think it would be better to come to an agreement."