Andy Burnham said the measures the Government wants to impose went ‘way beyond’ the closure of pubs. He said northern cities will resist the restrictions without 80 per cent job support

He said the Mayor of Manchester was “playing party politics” with leaders rejecting the coronavirus control measures.

The Health Secretary said: “The situation in the North West of England is severe.

“The number of cases is rising exponentially, the number of people in hospital with Covid has doubled in just the last 12 days.

“So I call upon local leaders to set aside this party politics and to work with us to put in place the measures that are needed in Greater Manchester, across the North West, so that we can deal with this virus and support people through it.”

He added: “This is a time for people to come together so that we can control this virus.”