We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

The Government announced the immediate ban on separate households meeting across northern England following an alarming spike in coronavirus cases. While Labour politicians like the Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham backed the move, others including party leader Sir Keir Starmer and Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell criticised the announcement. They rebuked the Government for a lack of clarity over the measures and for announcing them “late at night”.

In an interview with Sky News presenter Gamal Fahnbulleh, Ms Powell said the lack of detail in the announcement last night was “not good enough”.

Labour’s Shadow Business Minister said there are “basic questions” about new restrictions in northern England that are yet to be answered.

She had earlier said the way the Government announced the new local lockdown measures in the north of England “has frankly been a bit of a disaster”.

Fahnbulleh took the Shadow Minister to task over this claim, suggesting Labour was “criticising the Government for the sake of criticism”.

JUST IN: BBC host erupts at Matt Hancock as he hits back at ‘shambolic’ plans

He called out the MP for political point-scoring, as the TV news host claimed the Government had to make “difficult decisions” at a time of crisis.

Fahnbulleh said: “People will look at you and say you are criticising the Government for the sake of criticism.

“I mean, you criticise them for being too late in their actions in the early stages.

“Now you are criticising them when they have had to make this very difficult decision.

“Nobody is saying what the Government is doing is easy.”

Ms Powell responded: “No-one is saying that, of course not, but this has been handled quite badly.

“I was blindsided by this announcement. I haven’t seen alarming data that shows this was coming.”

DON’T MISS: 

London lockdown: Hancock says ‘we are prepared to impose new measures’ [VIDEO]
Trump’s sensational demand to delay US election causes split – poll [POLL]
Matt Hancock threatens to clamp down on social distancing flouters [VIDEO]

She added: “It’s not good enough for there to be an announcement via social media at 10pm coming into force two hours later.”

In his announcement, Matt Hancock said the increase in transmission across the northern region was “largely due” to people not observing social distancing.

More than four million people will be affected by the tighter restrictions.

The measures mean different households will not be allowed to meet in homes or private gardens in Greater Manchester, east Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire following a spike in coronavirus cases.

Source: Read Full Article