Dominic Raab accuses Andy Burnham of trying to 'hold Government over a barrel'

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has accused Greater Manchester Mayor AndyBurnham of trying to “hold the Government over a barrel” by resisting toughercoronavirus restrictions.

Mr Raab told BBC Breakfast: “Ultimately we need totake action – we can’t have a situation as we have seen in Manchester whereAndy Burnham is effectively trying to hold the Government over a barrel overmoney and politics when actually we need to take action.

“The cases there are470 per 100,000 so it is very serious, and we must take action in the interestof the people of Manchester and the wider area, and if we take those targetedactions in those areas most affected… we get through this and we avoid thenational level lockdown.” He urged Mr Burnham to “do the right thing by thepeople of Manchester”.