Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has said that Boris Johnson’s hints toward introducing mandatory vaccinations are ‘dangerous’ and ‘a step too far’.
The Mayor has strongly opposed any suggestion of compulsory vaccinations against Covid-19.
The Prime Minister said in his press conference that a ‘national conversation’ about compulsory jabs would be considered, a measure which has already been introduced in Austria.
Though insisting that he didn’t ‘want us to have a society where we force people to get vaccinated’ the PM said: “I think that there is going to come a point, if we can show that the vaccines are capable of holding Omicron – and that is the key thing we need to test – I do think we need to have a national conversation about ways in which we deal with this pandemic.
Boris Johnson in yesterday’s press conference
“I don’t think we can keep going indefinitely with non-pharmaceutical interventions, I mean restrictions on people’s way of life, just because a substantial proportion of the population still sadly has not got vaccinated.”
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On Twitter yesterday, Andy Burnham said: “I am usually in favour of strong measures to protect health. But compulsory vaccination is a step too far.”
This morning, he added: “So the Government chooses the very moment its authority is in tatters to talk up compulsory vaccination?
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So the Government chooses the very moment its authority is in tatters to talk up compulsory vaccination?
That’s a poor judgement call and, at this stage of the pandemic, quite a dangerous one.
“Apart from the high risk settings of the NHS and social care which we’ve already set out we will legislate for.
“Other than that, if you’re talking about universal mandatory vaccination, I think ethically it’s wrong, but also at a very practical level it just wouldn’t work.
“Getting vaccinated has to be a positive decision.”
Featured image: GMCA / Unsplash
News
Police appeal to find next of kin after man found outside Palace Theatre
Daisy Jackson
Police are trying to track down the family of a man who died after being found unresponsive outside the Palace Theatre in Manchester.
The man, who has now been named as Jonathan Bernard Carroll, was seen outside the city centre theatre at around 6.30am on Tuesday 12 November.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and Mr Carroll was taken to hospital.
Tragically, the 47-year-old passed away a short time later.
A large cordon was in place on Whitworth Street and Oxford Road while police and security attended the incident.
Greater Manchester Police are now appealing to find his next of kin.
It’s believed that he resided in the Salford area of Greater Manchester.
Anyone with any information should contact the Coroner’s Office on 0161 856 1376.
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
Daisy Jackson -
9th December 2021 
