The leaders of Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield and Tyneside have called on MPs to back them after they rejected Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Covid-19 financial plan

Northern leaders have threatened legal action against new Covid-19 wage support measures and called on MPs to reject the plan in a Commons vote.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham urged MPs to back the leaders’ opposition to the local furlough scheme, which would pay significantly less than the national furlough programme.

Mr Burnham said thousands wouldn’t be able to cover their bills on just two-thirds’ pay, businesses would be forced to shut for good, and the North-South divide would “widen” despite Chancellor Rishi Sunak wage support package.

An open letter written by northern leaders calls for cross-party support from MPs across the North for a vote in Parliament on the support proposals announced by the Chancellor on Friday.