The Prime Minister confirmed during Prime Minister’s Questions that the £60m that was offered to Greater Manchester during the Tier 3 negotiations, will be still be given to Greater Manchester and will be distributed through the councils.
The questions focused on continuing support for areas that are being affected by restrictions, with particular emphasis on Greater Manchester’s move into the Very High tier of local restrictions.
Keir Starmer focused on how an area might move out of the Very High tier, citing SAGE’s comments that Tier 3 alone would not be enough to lower the infection rate below one.
Boris Johnson, stood by his promises of a 28-day review of restrictions, that if the R rate had dropped, along with hospital admissions and deaths, there would be a good chance that areas would be allowed to move out of the highest tiers.
Keir Starmer remained firm that Tier 3 would be difficult to get out of and that a national circuit-breaker lockdown would be a better way forward – something which the Prime Minister disagrees with.
Ian Blackford, Leader of the Scottish National Party in Westminster, focused again on pushing for a U-turn on the Government’s furlough policy, claiming that by ending the Job Retention Scheme would leave millions on the scrapheap.
