Here are the latest updates from the last 24 hours 

  • Boris Johnson has imposed tough coronavirus restrictions on Greater Manchester after talks aimed at reaching an agreement ended in acrimony. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said talks collapsed after the Government refused to meet his demand for £65 million to support the livelihoods of people in the region as they face the closure of pubs, bars, bookmakers and other premises. Instead, the Government has given £22m to the area. Restrictions come into force on Friday.
  • Labour will force a vote in Parliament today demanding a “fair one nation deal” for areas facing Tier 3 restriction. Leader Keir Starmer said Labour would urge MPs to back a motion demanding “the Government guarantees people faced with hardship who are subject to the Job Retention Scheme extension will receive at least 80 per cent of their previous incomes”. He accused the Conservatives of treating communities in the North-East, North West and Midlands with “contempt”. He said: “This is not just a matter of fairness for people in Greater Manchester, but for people across the country who could find themselves in Tier 3 in the weeks ahead. Families and businesses will be deeply anxious that they might not be able to make ends meet under the Government’s wholly inadequate proposals.”
  • A further 1,703 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the North-East and North Yorkshire in the last 24-hours. There have been a total of 241 daily deaths within 28 days of positive test in the UK, bringing the total to 43,967. Meanwhile a further 17 people were reported to have died with the virus at the region’s hospitals.
  • Yesterday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said there were “early signs” that cases are starting to flatten in the North-East. He said: “In the first instance that is happening among younger people, and I’m still worried about the number of cases of over-60s, who are the people most likely to end up in hospital or worse. So we will keep a very close eye on the situation, but we have no imminent plans to make a change.” The Health Secretary said the Government would seek the support of the area should changes be required.
  • A £300,000 fund has been launched to help culture businesses in the Tees Valley. It was announced by Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen yesterday. Small and medium-sized businesses, sole traders and freelancers, can apply for the Cultural Development and Innovation Fund to help them bring forward new ways of working during the pandemic. These could include developing new products, forging new partnerships, engaging with new markets or making use of new technologies to support growth in the culture sector.