PM accused of skimping on Covid aid

Boris Johnson has been told to “stop bargaining with people’s lives” and agree to a furlough extension and second national lockdown.

Sir Keir Starmer urged the prime minister to end his “corrosive” approach that results in “local battles” for cash.

It came as South Yorkshire was moved into the third tier of England’s lockdown approach yesterday, meaning it faces the toughest rules from Saturday.

Greater Manchester is to move into tier three from Friday – against the wishes of local leaders.

Under tier three, pubs and bars that do not serve substantial meals must close, and there are more restrictions on households mixing.

Sir Keir told the Commons: “This is a prime minister who can pay £7,000 a day for consultants on track and trace, which isn’ t working, can find £43 million for a garden bridge that was never built but he can’t find £5m for the people of Greater Manchester.

“I really think the prime minister has crossed a Rubicon here, not just with the miserly way he’s treated Greater Manchester, but the grubby take it or leave it way these local deals are done.”

Mr Johnson said he was “proud” of the government’s suppor t to the entire country, adding: “I think it’s the height of absurdity that he stands up and attacks the economic consequences of the measures we’re obliged to take across some parts of the country when he wants to turn the lights out with a full national lockdown.”

The prime minister said he would “do whatever it takes” to get the country through the crisis and rejected the circuit-break idea.

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said the treatment of Greater Manchester this week was something “the people of Scotland were all too familiar with”, before turning to the furlough scheme.

He said: “Next week, just as the pandemic is worsening, the To r y government will scrap the furlough scheme in a move that will cause a wave of mass redundancies across the UK.”

Mr Johnson responded: “Actually, I’m proud of what we’ve done to support people on low incomes throughout this period and indeed before. It was this government that raised the living wage by record amounts.

“We will get this country through this crisis and we will continue to support people of low incomes throughout the period.”

NEW RULES: People in Sheffield, which is among the areas moving into tier three.