UK News

Travel ban for Manchester, Salford and Bolton to Scotland to be lifted at midnight

"These restrictions are being removed due to changes in the epidemiological position for those areas."

The Manc The Manc - 29th June 2021

The Scottish government has confirmed the travel ban currently placed on Manchester, Salford and Bolton will be lifted at midnight tonight.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the ban on non-essential travel from the three Greater Manchester areas earlier this month due to concerns about rising COVID-19 case numbers.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham had publicly criticised the move, claiming he had not been consulted about the decision.

A war of words between the local leaders escalated – with Burnham saying people in Manchester hadn’t been “treated with the respect we deserve”.

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“They’ve done to us exactly what they always complain that the UK government does to Scotland,” Burnham stated during an interview on 20 June.

“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 [and] 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. 

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“They need to live by the same standards they’ve always called for from others.”

But now, a parliamentary answer from Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has confirmed that restrictions will end from 30 June.

He said: “We will be removing the travel restrictions which are currently in place in relation to travel between Scotland and Manchester, Bolton and Salford [and] these restrictions are being removed due to changes in the epidemiological position for those areas.

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“Amendments to regulations will be made today and will take effect on 30 June 2021.”

Burnham welcomed the removal of restrictions saying he was “grateful” to the Scottish government for “listening”.

Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons

UK News

Question Time audience stunned as first-time buyer says mortgage quote DOUBLED

Danny Jones Danny Jones Question Time audience member mortgage quote 10.5%

Thursday night’s Question Time audience could be heard audibly gasping after a fellow crowd member revealed that her mortgage quote had doubled followed the recent mini-budget.

Taping in Manchester on 29 September, the current events and politics programme was discussing property when would-be first-time buyer Rabia revealed that her mortgage offer had jumped from an initial amount of 4.5% interest to a shocking 10.5% in just a matter of days.

As you can see in the incredible clip, both the audience and the panel are taken aback at the revelation.

The Greater Manchester resident said she is desperate to know what the government’s plan for mortgages is as following the latest revision, she says she simply cannot afford to put the money down on her first home.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer weighed in on the social media reaction, quote tweeting the clip from his party’s own account and stating that “the Tories must get back to Parliament and reverse their kamikaze budget” as the current economic mess is being “paid for by working people”.

To make matters worse, Rabia was given no clarification from her lenders, only that they were pulling her offers. Conservative MP and Minister for Local Government, Faith and Communities, Paul Scully had little information to offer her either, simply stating it is a short-term effect and that the market will stabilise.

Scully was subject to an entirely different reaction from the audience as well after his blind attempts to defend Prime Minister Liz Truss and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng were met with laughter. Conversely, Richard Bacon was met with applause after he labelled the mini-budget “absurd”.

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As if the anti-Tory sentiment wasn’t already at a high, the chancellor’s mini-budget – which saw the corporations, bankers and the generally wealthy benefit ahead of the working class – has seen fresh calls for a general election to be held as soon as possible.

Beyond declaring a so-called £2,500 limit on energy bills (which many have warned isn’t a guaranteed cap), there was seemingly very little in the way of policy that

For those still unclear as to what was announced in the divisive mini-budget, here is a quick summary:

Everything you need to know about Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget 2022

Speaking in a speech at the Labour conference in Liverpool on Tuesday, Starmer said that the government “haven’t just failed to fix the roof, they’ve ripped out the foundations, smashed the windows and now they’ve blown the doors off for good measure.

You can watch the full episode of Question Time back on BBC iPlayer.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

UK News

Demands for an immediate general election set to be debated in parliament

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

A petition demanding an ‘immediate general election’ has now surpassed 100,000 signatures – and is set to be debated in Parliament.

The petition says that the public should be able to ‘decide who should lead us through the unprecedented crises threatening the UK’.

Prime Minsiter Liz Truss and the Conservative party are facing waves of criticism as the cost of living crisis spirals.

Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-Budget on Friday saw the pound plummet to a record low against the dollar, and 40% of mortgage deals have since been pulled from the market, plunging the property market into chaos too.

Environmental charities have also attacked the Tories for ‘ripping up green planning laws‘, putting our green spaces at risk.

A British polling station as people call for a general election. Credit: Unsplash

Liz Truss was elected as Prime Minister by Conservative MPs only weeks ago, beating Rishi Sunak to the top job on 6 September 2022, but no general election has been held since Boris Johnson was elected in 2019.

Petition organiser Darrin Charlesworth said: “The chaos engulfing the UK government is unprecedented.

“War rages in Ukraine; the Northern Ireland Protocol has further damaged our relationship with Europe; recession looms; the UK itself may cease to exist as Scotland seeks independence.

“This is the greatest set of challenges we have seen in our lifetimes.

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“Let the people decide who leads us through this turmoil.”

Labour has now surged to a historic 33-point lead in a YouGov poll.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the government has ‘clearly lost control of the economy’.

He said a the Labour conference in Liverpool: “What the government needs to do now is recall parliament and abandon this budget before any more damage is done.”

Featured image: Unsplash

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