The Scottish Government has responded to claims by Manchester mayor Andy Burnham that travel restrictions imposed on his city were “unnecessary” and without warning.
Mr Burnham hit out at the First Minister following the announcement, accusing Nicola Sturgeon’s government of “double standards”.
New rules banning travel between Manchester and Salford come into effect on Monday, following a rise in the prevalence of the Delta variant in the region.
Mr Burnham wrote on Twitter: "This seems unnecessary to me … and it would have been nice if Nicola Sturgeon 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? #DoubleStandards
"And will they be providing any compensation for Greater Manchester residents whose trips are now being cancelled or businesses here losing bookings?"
This seems unnecessary to me …
— Andy Burnham (@AndyBurnhamGM) June 19, 2021
… 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?#DoubleStandards https://t.co/b1SrZWopzx
READ MORE: Andy Burnham calls out Sturgeon over 'unnecessary' Manchester travel ban
The Scottish Government has since responded to the concerns, admitting that the change would be “disappointing” for many, especially given the short notice.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “This legislation was announced to parliament on Thursday. The Scottish rules on travel to and from other parts of the Common Travel Area are kept under active review and are subject to change depending on the state of the pandemic.
“Given the importance of using up-to-date data, this can sometimes happen at short notice.
“We realise that for those with family or friends in Manchester or Salford, or for anyone who was simply planning a visit, this is disappointing.
“But rates of Covid in these cities are particularly high at the moment and these restrictions are intended to minimise the risk of either exacerbating the situation there or indeed allowing more virus to come back here to Scotland.”
Burnham was backed by other Scottish politicians who agree with his complaint with areas such as Dundee at similar Covid levels as Manchester.
Alex Cole-Hamilton, Lib Dem MSP for Edinburgh Western, said Burnham was right to "call out" the First Minister.
He wrote: "Given that we have communities in Scotland with transmission rates equal to that of Manchester, this travel ban does not make sense while travel unrestricted across Scotland. This is think of a number politics and@AndyBurnhamGM is right to call it out."
Paul Sweeney, Labour & Co-op MSP for Glasgow Region, added: "Greater Manchester's Mayor@AndyBurnhamGM is right, not only was this announcement discourteous to him and the people of Greater Manchester, the decision was made on Thursday morning - before First Minister's Questions - yet @NicolaSturgeon did not inform the Scottish Parliament."
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