Middlesbrough’s mayor has vowed to defy the Government’s tougher restrictions just announced by Matt Hancock.

Andy Preston said he is preparing to fight back against the measures to restrict people meeting up indoors with anyone outside their household.

Announcing the measures in the Commons, the Health Secretary said it would be extending strict measures imposed on the North East to Liverpool, Warrington, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough from midnight tomorrow following a spike in cases.

From midnight tomorrow, the social mixing ban will covers pubs, restaurants and all other public venues, but meet-ups are still allowed in outdoor public spaces, like parks and pub gardens.

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But the measures have been thrown into chaos by the mayor, who blasted the Government action in a video.

He said: ‘I have to tell you I think this measure has been introduced based on factual inaccuracies and a monstrous and frightening lack of communication, and ignorance.

‘I do not accept the statement at all. I do not accept these measures.

‘We need to talk to government, they need to understand our local knowledge, expertise and ability to get things done, and preserve jobs and well-being.

‘We are really disappointed. As things stand, we defy the Government and we do not accept these measures.

‘We need to get Covid under control and we need to work with people to find a way of preserving jobs and mental health.’

Mr Preston had previously called for a ban on households mixing in private, but he fell short of asking for the same measures in public venues such as pubs and restaurants.

Mr Hancock told MPs that he would not allow the virus to ‘let rip’ across the country, as he urged to Britons to follow the rules at this ‘critical’ time.

He said: ‘By its nature, this virus spreads through social contact and so it’s had a terrible impact on the hospitality sector, who in good times exist to encourage that very social contact that we all enjoy.

‘We’ve had to take difficult but necessary decisions to suppress the virus. The only alternative to suppressing the virus is to let it rip and I will not do that.’

He added: ‘So, while I know that many of the individual rules are challenging, they are necessary and there are those early signs that they’re working.

‘There are no changes to measures in West Yorkshire, West Midlands, Leicester, Lancashire or the rest of Greater Manchester.’

Local lockdowns are coming into force in Denbighshire, Flintshire, Conwy and Wrexham in North Wales from 6pm today, putting more than a third of the UK population under some form of extra controls.

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