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They show Scotland has the highest infection rate in the UK, with an average of one in 220 people testing positive for the virus – twice as many as England – and several places north of the border have numbers near or even above the dated dated First minister designated as no-go areas.
But so far there has been little evidence to suggest that the ban should be lifted or the dispute between these two prominent and popular politicians, who should be allies rather than enemies, should be resolved.
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Mr Burnham has made a name for himself as the outspoken Mayor of Greater Manchester, who fights for his region and ensures that it is not forgotten by those in power in London.
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Nicola Sturgeon’s argument with Andy Burnham over the Manchester travel ban was strange. He…
Ms. Sturgeon has received praise for her handling of the pandemic and is widely recognized as one of the most effective politicians in the UK. Both have shown their willingness to take on Boris Johnson if necessary.
So why do they get into conflict?
First Secretary Nicola Sturgeon (left) has crossed swords with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham (right).
First Secretary Nicola Sturgeon (left) has crossed swords with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham (right).Ms Sturgeon, who is known for her caution about Covid, imposed the travel ban a week ago to prevent cases of the Delta variant from being imported into Scotland, but there has been no prior contact with Mr Burnham or his office in advance to warn the move, let alone advise about it.
Calling the ban “hypocritical and disproportionate”, he called for compensation for those affected and reminded Ms. Sturgeon that the lack of communication and advice was exactly what angered both of them when the British government ignored them.
Ms. Sturgeon held onto her guns and made matters worse by accusing Mr. Burnham of starting the argument to increase his chances of becoming Labor leader.
Even Health Minister Humza Yousaf admitted over the weekend that Mr Burnham’s criticism of the lack of advance information was “not unreasonable”.
But the series has continued. After the latest figures were released, Mr Burnham tweeted: “Scotland is now the UK’s Covid hotspot … It is also clear that parts of Scotland have similar or higher case numbers than Manchester and Salford.”
The numbers show Manchester with 377 cases per 100,000 and Salford with 333, compared to Edinburgh with 336 and East Lothian with 391.
Bolton – another of the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester – which was originally one of the UK’s hardest hit cities with the Delta variant, now has a covid rate of 251 per 100,000 but is still on the travel ban list.
Mrs Sturgeon and Mr Burnham are obviously from different parties, but they have real common interests as leaders of two powerful parts of the UK that are seeking greater autonomy – and the two places have more in common than you might think.
Shortly after the 2015 general election, in which the SNP won a post-referendum landslide and the Tories gained a majority in Westminster, a poll by the Manchester Evening News found that 72 percent of Mancunians wanted Manchester to break away from England and become part of an independent one becomes Scotland.
That may be fanciful, but it underscores the fact that these two politicians should leave this unnecessary argument behind, settle their differences, and seek cooperation rather than conflict.
