The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police today vowed to police ‘without fear or favour’ amid a political row between Downing Street and local leaders over tougher coronavirus measures.

In an open letter, Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said that while he is ‘accountable’ to Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, he is ‘operationally independent’.

It follows reports that the Government has not imposed Tier 3 measures on the region over fears police would not enforce them without the backing of Mr Burnham.

Political leaders in the region have so far refused to accept the highest level of restrictions without greater financial support for businesses and residents.

Mr Hopkins wrote: ‘All officers and staff in Greater Manchester Police are accountable to me as Chief Constable. We carry out operational policing without fear or favour and in line with the Police Services code of ethics alongside colleagues across the country.’

He added: ‘It is for local and national politicians to agree the necessary restrictions to keep us all safe. 

‘As the Chief Constable I will then ensure my officers and staff enforce these in a proportionate manner alongside our local authority partners.’

Mr Hopkins said he has spoken to both the mayor and Home Secretary Priti Patel throughout the pandemic.

‘We are all agreed that there needs to be a proportionate level of enforcement to existing regulations,’ he said, adding he had ‘support’ from both in relation to the force’s approach.

The Prime Minister tried to increase pressure on Mr Burnham during a Downing Street press conference yesterday, threatening to impose the measures if local leaders did not accept them. 

Both he and Labour have warned the situation in Greater Manchester is ‘grave’, while the region’s political leaders refuse to accept Tier 3 restrictions without greater financial support for businesses and 우리카지노총판 residents. 

But the Mayor and council leaders across Greater Manchester responded by insisting they have done ‘everything within our power to protect the health of our residents’.

They also said people and firms need greater financial support before they accept the tougher restrictions.

And official figures show that the infection rate is dropping in Greater Manchester and Newcastle despite anti-Covid measures, in a development that risks undermining the Government’s public health messaging.

Nearly 600 coronavirus cases were recorded in Manchester on September 30, which then fell to 377 recorded cases on October 9.

On Thursday, there were just two cases in Manchester. In Newcastle, 277 cases were recorded on October 6, which similarly fell down to 170 infections on October 9 and just 10 cases on Thursday.  

In other coronavirus developments:   

• A senior Government adviser warned that only a national circuit-breaker lockdown would suppress virus;
• Sir John Bell was echoed by Jeremy Hunt, who also called for public war of words on local restrictions to end; 
• Liverpool Mayor 우리카지노계열 Joe Anderson said his brother has died after being admitted to intensive care with Covid;
• Police fought to enforce coronavirus laws in London  as they faced defiance from protesters and drinkers; 
• Mr Johnson said the UK is developing the capacity to manufacture millions of fast turnaround tests for coronavirus which could deliver results in just 15 minutes;
• The National Education Union rowed in behind Sir Keir Starmer’s call for a national circuit-breaker; 
• The Welsh Government will discuss a circuit-breaker lockdown and will announce decisions on Monday;
• Some 15,650 coronavirus cases were recorded in the UK on Friday, alongside 136 deaths;  
• A senior scientist predicted Britain could be carrying out a million coronavirus tests a day by Christmas;
• The Prime Minister’s attention briefly switched from the pandemic to warn a No Deal Brexit was likely as both London and Brussels ramped up their tough talk. 

Downing Street is being urged to restart talks with Greater Manchester’s political leaders over the highest levels of coronavirus restrictions after Mr Burnham accused Mr Johnson of treating the North like a ‘sacrificial lamb’ and a ‘canary in the coalmine’ with experimental restrictions. 

Mr Burnham said no meetings had taken place since Thursday morning and there was confusion over whether talks would resume with No10 over the weekend. 

‘We can assure the Prime Minister that we are ready to meet at any time to try to agree a way forward,’ Mr Burnham and council leaders across the region said in a statement. 

Downing Street indicated a discussion had been arranged for 메리트카지노쿠폰 Sunday morning after a message was left with Mr Burnham on Saturday, but the Mayor’s camp flatly denied any call having been scheduled.  

Mr Burnham said the ‘very least’ he would accept was a full reinstatement of the furlough scheme in the region paying 80 per cent of the wages of people unable to work, though this is being ruled out by the Treasury.  

It comes after the Prime Minister hailed an agreement with Lancashire to move the region into the toughest lockdown level, where it joins Liverpool as one of only two areas in the top bracket. 

Around 1.5 million more people woke up to Tier 3 restrictions when Lancashire joined the Liverpool region living under the severest controls, with pubs and bars closed unless they can serve meals and indoor mixing banned.

Jake Berry, the Conservative MP for Rossendale and Darwen, called for evidence to show the measures work, echoing concerns raised across Greater Manchester.

‘I think that spoonful of scepticism is because we’ve been in very similar measures since August and no one has really demonstrated to us the way out or how these measures are working,’ he told BBC Breakfast.

Meanwhile, shadow Education Secretary Kate Green called for an end to the ‘blame game’ and for discussions to resume to get the region an adequate support package.