Further talks are due tomorrow morning and Health Secretary Matt Hancock will update the House of Commons after health experts held a ‘Gold Command’ meeting tonight – despite threats of legal action. No final decision has been made

Health Secretary Matt Hancock will update the Commons at around 11.30am on Thursday after the region’s Metro Mayor Andy Burnham holds talks with Downing Street tomorrow morning.

A final decision had not yet been made tonight, but if it gets the green light restrictions could be imposed on 2.8 million people within hours.

Mr Burnham, who has threatened legal action against the move, tweeted tonight: “We’ve just concluded a briefing with the Deputy Chief Medical Officer. We are expecting a further meeting with the PM’s team in the morning.”

Health chiefs and experts held a “Gold Command” meeting this evening which examined whether Greater Manchester and Lancashire should switch to the very high alert level – banning households mixing indoors and shutting pubs.

Lancashire council leader Geoff Driver warned: “If we don’t take proper measures now, within three weeks the hospitals in Lancashire will be having the same admissions for Covid as they did at the height of the first wave.