Nicola Sturgeon’s deputy John Swinney slaps down Andy Burnham amid furious row over travel ban between Manchester and Scotland saying it is ‘justified’ because of city’s high virus rate – and refuses Labour mayor’s demand for compensation
- John Swinney said that the move was ‘justified’ by the city’s spiking Covid rate
- The Deputy First Minister also dismissed Mr Burnham’s call for compensation
- Greater Manchester mayor raged at Nicola Sturgeon’s ‘double standards’
- Thousands of Scottish fans ignored social distancing after travelling to Wembley
Nicola Sturgeon’s deputy slapped down Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham today amid a furious row over a ban on people from the city visiting Scotland.
John Swinney said that the move by the SNP government to block Mancunians from visiting was ‘justified’ by the city region’s spiking Covid case rate.
His comments came after Mr Burnham, a former Labour minister, had accused Ms Sturgeon of being a hypocrite for blocking travel while allowing thousands of Scots to descend on London for Friday’s Euro 2020 game against England.
The Greater Manchester mayor demanded compensation for holidaymakers and businesses affected, saying extraordinary scenes with crowds of Scots supporters failing to socially distance in London showed her ‘double standards’.
But speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, Mr Swinney said: ‘In our judgment, the rising case numbers and the high levels of the virus in the Greater Manchester and Salford area justified the decision we took and we are taking that to try and minimise the circulation of the virus.’
The Deputy First Minister also said Mr Burnham’s call for compensation is not ‘a relevant point’ as business support is already available in England.
John Swinney said that the move by the SNP government to block Mancunians from visiting was ‘justified’ by the city region’s spiking Covid case rate.
Mr Burnham, a former Labour minister, had accused Ms Sturgeon of being a hypocrite for blocking travel while allowing thousands of Scots to descend on London for Friday’s Euro 2020 game against England.
Mr Burnham said the extraordinary scenes with crowds of Scots supporters failing to socially distance in London on Friday night (pictured) showed ‘double standards’
‘When questioned about the last-minute nature of the ban, he added: ‘That is something we will reflect on but we put in place very similar provisions in relation to Bolton, which is part of the Greater Manchester area, back in May, and we’ve just followed exactly the same approach in relation to this decision.’
He continued: ‘We have in place, in Scotland, business support that we have made available to companies to try and sustain them, there will be support in place in England for exactly the same circumstances.
‘We have got to take decisions based on the data that presents itself and sometimes that is very uncomfortable data for us.
‘We have to act quickly to try to make sure we are doing everything possible to suppress the spread of the virus, and that is what members of the public would expect of us.’
Around 30,000 Scotland fans travelled across the border over the weekend, with dozens being arrested.
Andy Burnham raged at Nicola Sturgeon (right) for banning travel from Manchester to Scotland without any consultation – but allowing thousands of Scotland football fans to go to Wembley
Pictures captured Leicester Square packed with Scotland fans jubilantly singing, chanting and letting off flares after the England v Scotland game ended in a 0-0 draw last night
Mr Burnham said yesterday he was ‘really disappointed’ that Mrs Sturgeon had announced the restrictions on travel with Manchester and Salford on Friday ‘out of the blue’, on top of the existing curbs affecting Bolton and Blackburn with Darwen.
Asked about the scenes of fans ‘dancing’ in London he said: ‘I just think it is double standards, it is simple as that,’ he said. ‘It is hypocrisy.
‘I will be writing to the First Minister today. I will be asking for compensation for the individuals who might lose holidays and the businesses who might lose bookings.
Why should a couple from Salford who are double jabbed who are about to go on a walking holiday in Scotland not be able to go?
‘It is completely disproportionate in my view. We could have come up with a different arrangement if the First Minister had been in touch with us.’
He added: ‘The Scottish government cannot just impose things on parts of the North of England without any discussion with us. That is simply wrong.
‘They need to live by the same standards that they have always called for from others.’
Ms Sturgeon only urged travelling Scotland fans to ‘please, please, please try to behave in a way that is a safe as possible’ before the match on Friday night.
But Leicester Square was packed with supporters jubilantly singing, chanting and letting off flares ahead of the game.
As many as 30,000 people are thought to have made the trip to London over the weekend.
Police arrested 26 people for offences including violence, drugs, weapons, racial aggravation, assault and drunk behaviour amid the wild celebrations, after Scotland clinched a 0-0 draw at Wembley.
Before the end of the match, police cleared fans out of the area and tried to seal off the five entrances, with the William Shakespeare statue having been scaled repeatedly.
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