It has been confirmed this afternoon that Greater Manchester willmove into Tier 3 under the government’s new three tier coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions scheme.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the move a few with a £22 million support package.
Under Tier 3 rules, pubs and bars that do not serve “substantial” meals must close, with betting shops, casinos, bingo halls, adult gaming centres and soft play areas also required to close doors.
Different households will be banned from mixing indoors and outdoors, including in private gardens, and travel in/out the area is also advised against.
Gyms and certain fitness facilities have however been permitted to remain open.
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The Tier 3 restrictions for the region will come into force from 00.01am on Friday 23rd October.
BREAKING: Greater Manchester will enter Tier 3 #coronavirus restrictions, Boris Johnson has confirmed.
The prime minister says the lockdown will come into force at midnight on Thursday.
With some confusion then arising surrounding the support package, Mr Johnson was asked in a follow-up question if he’s only offering £22m to Greater Manchester and retracting the tens of millions more reportedly offered? He says he regrets having to impose restrictions on people, but he has to look at the data and it shows “I have to act”.
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The £22m is “additional to other support – we’re always happy to consider that”, he clarifies, without explicitly saying if he’s offering more or not, and further stated that “we wanted a deal” and “that was the best way forward”.
On the question of exactly how much money the region will get, he says he’s described “some of the funds already on the table”, but that “other discussions undoubtedly will continue”.
Mr Johnson closed out the press conference emphasising that “we’re walking a narrow path” to avoid a second national lockdown, but on a final note of hope, he says universities have “done a great job” of getting the virus under control.
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He added: “The R is currently above 1 but it’s not that much above 1.
“If we all follow the guidance together… then I’ve no doubt that we can drive it down particularly in those badly affected areas.”
Greater Manchester now joins the Liverpool City Region under Tier 3 restrictions and the neighbouring county of Lancashire, which was also recategorised from Tier 2 to Tier 3 last Friday.
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Greater Manchester’s Tier 3 Saga: A Breakdown
This afternoon’s official announcement by Prime Minister Boris Johnson that Greater Manchester is to enter Tier 3 restrictions concludes a lengthy saga surrounding the categorisation of the region, as local leaders have refused to accept Tier 3 status without improved financial support.
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Yet another meeting earlier this week ended in a deadlock, with the government imposing a deadline on the region to strike a deal by midday on Tuesday.
According to Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick, last-gasp discussions to settle a deal broke down this afternoon.
Andy Burnham has repeatedly pushed back the government’s attempts to turn GM into a Tier 3 regionwithout “adequate support”
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham addressed the people of Greater Manchester live just prior to the Prime Minister’s announcement, where he attacked the government for refusing to offer an extra £5 million in support to help the region through Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions.
He said the government “walked away” from negotiations about financial support, after refusing to offer enough money to “prevent a winter of real hardship” for the people of Greater Manchester.
He also emphasised that: “We took this stand for you. We will carry on fighting for you. We will carry on putting your health first, but health is more than the virus. We will support people’s health in the broadest possible sense.
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“So tough days lay ahead [but] please, everybody, observe the law at all times and follow the public health advice.
“Above all else, please look out for each other, as I know you will.”
Entrance to Manchester Piccadilly Station – Gerald England / Geograph
Prime Minister Boris Johnson had previously warned that he would need to “intervene” if an agreement wasn’t reached, claiming tighter measures were needed to improve the “deteriorating” health situation in Manchester.
Andy Burnham and Manchester City Council Leader Sir Richard Leese have previously accused the government of using “selective” data to “raise public concern”, claiming that ICU’s in Manchester were not currently overwhelmed.
Last week, senior cabinet members Dominic Raab and Matt Hancock both made public appeals for Greater Manchester to work alongside the government to find a solution, with Raab accusing Burnham of holding ministers “over a barrel”.
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Burnham maintained that getting a “fairer” deal was “about more than just Greater Manchester” – claiming many more regions would need better deals whenever they were upgraded to Tier 3; a development he considered “likely” ahead of winter.
Now, after much verbal sparring, it has been confirmed that Greater Manchester will be placed under the tightest restrictions as part of the ‘very high’ alert level.
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For the latest information, guidance and support during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the UK, please do refer to official sources at gov.uk/coronavirus.
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Count Binface says he’ll put a £2 price cap on Wigan kebabs if he wins the Makerfield by-election
Emily Sergeant
Count Binface is officially running in the Makerfield by-election and has now shared his hilarious manifesto with the public.
Price-capped Wigan kebabs and 99p ice creams, cyclists being forced to ride unicycles if they break the Highway Code, and the renaming of HS2 to ‘FFS1’ are just some of the declarations being made by Makerfield by-election candidate, Count Binface.
In case you’re not up-to-speed on the Makerfield by-election coming up on 18 June – which was called after Labour’s Josh Simons announced he was standing down – there are now a total of 14 hopefuls set to contest the parliamentary seat.
Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, is by far the most well-known candidate in the running, alongside other names like Conservative’s Michael Winstanley, Liberal Democrats’ Jake Austin, the Green Party’s Sarah Wakefield, and Reform UK’s Michael Kenyon.
But Burnham is not the only big name… there’s also Count Binface too, of course.
Count Binface – previously known as Lord Buckethead – is the alias of comedian and perennial candidate, Jonathan David Harvey.
He announced his intentions to run for the Makerfield seat last month, before officially publishing his manifesto today (3 June), which includes 20 pledges – some serious, others less so… we presume.
On a more local level to the Makerfield area, if Count Binface wins the by-election, he has pledged to re-phase the traffic lights on Liverpool Road to ease congestion, increase the free parking limit at the Gerard Centre to three hours, and to make Galloways’ Full Monty Bin Lid breakfast the country’s new national dish.
And then on a more comical level – yes, even more comical than a new national dish – this is where you’ll find pledges like making sure there’s WiFi on trains that works and also ‘trains that work’ too, as well as the bringing back of Ceefax teletext for all Greater Manchester residents, and the increasing of points for tries in Rugby League from four to five ‘in line with inflation’.
Oh yeah, and there’s the promise that Count Binface will be the UK’s entrant to Eurovision in 2027, let’s not forget that.
Anyway, like we said, the Makerfield by-election is coming up on 18 June, and you can find out more information about all the candidates on the Wigan Council website here.
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Stockport man who squirted semen on women in supermarkets jailed
Daisy Jackson
A ‘sexual predator’ from Stockport who squirted women with a bottle of semen in supermarkets has been jailed.
William Kidd, 27, was found to be following unsuspecting women while they shopped, and was caught four times on CCTV spraying his victims with a ‘substance from a bottle’.
This substance was later confirmed through forensic analysis to be Kidd’s own semen, which he aimed at women’s hair or backs.
These ‘depraved’ acts took place across five separate incidents between May and September 2025, in stores across Macclesfield, Handforth and Stanley Green in Cheshire, as well as Denton and Stockport in Greater Manchester.
As well as the semen spraying, Kidd was found to have followed a woman through a store and secretly filmed her on his mobile phone while she shopped with her five‑year‑old daughter.
Following his arrest in October 2025, Kidd’s phone was reviewed and it was found he had filmed up a woman’s skirt while she was pushing a small child in a shopping trolley.
Kidd was also found to be in possession of a quantity of cannabis at the time of his arrest.
William Kidd has been jailed after he was discovered to be squirting semen on women in Stockport
The Stockport man appeared at Manchester Crown Court on Friday 29 May, where he was sentenced to four years in prison and is now subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which remains in place indefinitely.
The 27-year-old of Stanbank Street had earlier pleaded guilty to 11 counts of sexual assault on a female, two counts of voyeurism, eight counts of recording an image under clothing to observe another without consent, and possession of cannabis.
Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Tiffany Berry-Perkin said: “Firstly, I would like to commend the victims in this case for the strength and bravery they have shown throughout this investigation.
“It is thanks to their continued support that our team was able to gather an overwhelming body of evidence against Kidd, leaving him with no option but to plead guilty.
“Kidd deliberately targeted innocent women as they went about their everyday lives, entirely unaware of the depraved acts he was committing against them.
“His behaviour is completely unacceptable, and I welcome the fact that he is now being held accountable behind bars, where he can no longer pose a danger to women in our communities.”
Detective Sergeant Steven Kaminski said: “This case is an excellent example of neighbouring forces working together to identify and apprehend offenders who target women and girls.
“Kidd was fully aware that what he was doing was wrong. He knew his actions would cause his victims extreme distress, yet he chose to continue, deliberately travelling to multiple stores across two counties with the intention of violating and ultimately sexually assaulting innocent women.
“Putting an end to violence against women and girls remains a top priority for the force, and we will continue to remove sexual predators like Kidd from Cheshire and ensure they see justice.
“We treat all allegations of sexual offences extremely seriously, and any allegation will be thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority.
“Victims should never feel ashamed of what has been done to them. Anyone who comes forward will be met with compassion, respect, and specialist support from our officers, alongside partner support agencies. All victims of sexual offences are entitled to anonymity, and we are committed to ensuring they receive the help and protection they deserve.”
The Manc -
20th October 2020 
