Northern leaders call for more cash to cope with looming lockdowns

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham says that accepting Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s latest financial support package would be to “surrender” people to hardship in the run up to Christmas. Speaking at a press conference with political leaders from Liverpool, Sheffield and Tyneside on Saturday, Mr Burnham said the measures risked “severe redundancies” and business closures. He added: “To accept the Chancellor’s package as outlined yesterday would be to surrender our residents to hardship in the run up to Christmas and our businesses to potential failure or collapse. “We are not prepared to do that. “It will level down the north of England and widen the north-south divide.”