Andy Burnham has criticised the “double standards” of Nicola Sturgeon’s decision to impose a travel ban between Scotland and Manchester – calling the move “hypocritical”.
The First Minister of Scotland announced that all non-essential travel to Manchester and Salford would be prohibited from Monday (June 21).
Sturgeon said the ban was necessary due to the regions suffering from high numbers of coronavirus cases.
She stated: “I realise that for those with family or friends in Manchester or Salford, or anyone who was simply planning a visit, this is disappointing but rates of COVID are particularly high in these cities at the moment.”
But the Mayor of Greater Manchester has expressed his frustration over the decision, confirming he’d written to Sturgeon to seek “compensation for the individuals who might lose holidays and the businesses who might lose bookings.”
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Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham says the SNP's ban on travel from Scotland to Manchester is an example of "double standards and hypocrisy"
Speaking on Sunday (June 20), Burnham stated: “It’s hypocrisy – they’ve done to us exactly what they always complain that the UK government does to Scotland.
“Why should a couple from Salford who are double-jabbed who are about to go on a walking holiday in Scotland not be able to go? It’s completely disproportionate in my view.
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“We could have come up with a different arrangement if the First Minister had been in touch with us.”
The Mayor added: “The Scottish government can’t just impose things on parts of the north of England with no discussion with us – that is simply wrong.
“They need to live by the same standards they’ve always called for from others.”
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This seems unnecessary to me …
… and it would have been nice if @NicolaSturgeon had contacted us beforehand to discuss it.
Maybe the Scottish Government should try living by the same standards it frequently accuses the UK Government of lacking?#DoubleStandardshttps://t.co/b1SrZWopzx
Greater Manchester is currently receiving extra support from the UK government in a bid to tackle rising infection levels – including rapid response teams, military assistance and supervised in-school testing.
But Burnham said restrictions on movement between the region and Scotland were “unnecessary”.
He later tweeted: “When the UK Government have made changes affecting Greater Manchester, they called us in advance to discuss.
“The Scottish Government gave us no such courtesy.
“Sorry but it’s straightforward arrogance to say Scottish Ministers shouldn’t deign to speak to English Mayors.”
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Scottish government trade minister Ivan McKee told the BBC that Scotland had been forced to make a quick decision.
“The virus, as we know, moves very fast, decisions are made very fast and those decisions are communicated at a four-nations level,” he said.
“Andy Burnham… is going to write to the first minister about it, that’s absolutely fine and I’m sure there will be a conversation about how we can keep him better informed in future.”
Under Scottish government guidelines, non-essential travel between Scotland and Manchester/Salford is prohibited from today (June 21).
Featured image: BBC
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Manchester band Westside Cowboy release ‘thrilling’ debut album that critics are calling one of the year’s best
Emily Sergeant
One of the UK’s best rising bands have released their debut album today to glowing reviews from critics and fans alike.
Jimmy Bradbury, Reuben Haycocks, Aoife Anson O’Connell, and Paddy Murphy – better known together as Westside Cowboy – formed back in 2023 when they were students at the Royal Northern College of Music, so while they may not all be from Manchester, they definitely have the spirit of our city at the heart of everything they do.
After playing in different bands across the city throughout their student years, the four-piece joined forces to create Westside Cowboy – an indie rock collective credited with self-coining the genre of ‘Britainicana’.
Put simply, Britainicana is a cultural concept that mixes the hazy, mythic feel of American country and folk, with the sound of raw British punk, indie rock, and small-town life.
Westside Cowboy have released their debut album, It Goes On / Credit: Clementine Schniedermann (Press Shots – Supplied)
If that sounds like your cup of tea, then you’ll be pleased to know that Westside Cowboy have released their debut album, It Goes On, to the world today (21 August).
And the reception from critics, arguably, couldn’t be better.
Prior to the release of their debut album, the band had released two EPs, including So Much Country ‘Till We Get There in January earlier this year, and had started to make a name for themselves with their popular debut single ‘I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)’ in 2024.
They went onto make even further waves when they supported equally-rising American rock band Geese on their UK and Irish tour back in March – with many fans calling it one of the best support and main act combinations in some time.
Three singles from their debut album were shared with the world ahead of its release – ‘Kick Stones (The Boys)’ came first, followed by ‘Pin Up Boys’ and ‘Dobro’.
So, it’s fair to say the anticipation for album was high… and if the reviews are anything to go by (which we think they are), it looks like the band has very much delivered what they set out to achieve.
Westside Cowboy’s debut album It Goes On is now available to stream, or you can purchase a physical copy in a range of formats from their website here.
Take a listen👇
Featured Image – Press Shot (Supplied)
News
UK set to be battered by storms as ‘unprecedented’ El Niño arrives this autumn
Emily Sergeant
The UK is being told to brace for a series of storms this autumn when the ‘unprecedented’ El Niño weather event arrives.
It’s already been a summer of extremes for the country, with multiple heatwaves over the past couple of months, but now it appears that autumn and winter are set to have some extremes of their own, as the Met Office is warning that this upcoming El Niño could be one of the most significant in recent memory.
El Niño is declared when sea temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise 0.5°C above the long-term average, which therefore impacts global rainfall patterns and average temperatures.
The natural warming of sea temperatures is forecast to reach more than 3°C in the coming months, according to the Met Office, making this year’s weather event have the potential to be ‘the largest since the 19th century’.
The UK is set to be battered by storms as ‘unprecedented’ El Niño arrives this autumn / Credit: Johannes Plenio (via Unsplash)
El Niño will create a heightened risk of drought in the tropics, southern Africa, and north eastern Australia, but over in north western Europe – including the UK – it means we are likely to experience wetter and stormier conditions.
The UK, and of course Greater Manchester, is absolutely no stranger to a storm around this time of year, but forecasters say this could be an entirely different beast.
“We should be clear that this is an unprecedented event,” warned Professor Adam Scaife, who is the Head of Long Range Forecasting at the Met Office.
“I have never seen an El Nino signal this intense in our forecasts.”
Professor Scaife concluded: “A typical El Nino leads to an equatorial Pacific sea-surface temperature rise of between one to 2°C, with 2°C being a really big event. This implies that, if the forecast is accurate, and other forecast systems show similar extreme values, then 2026 will far exceed our recent experience of El Niño and its worldwide climate influences.’
Forecasters and officials, however, have warned that it could take months of sustained rainfall before rivers, reservoirs, and groundwaters are ‘completely replenished’ – which is when a drought can officially be declared as over.
It also warned drought conditions could persist into the new year as, despite El Niño, as current forecasts do not suggest this autumn will have the amount of rainfall needed to drive recovery.
The Manc -
21st June 2021 
