The mayor of Manchester has been given until midday to accept the strictest tier of lockdown restrictions or face having them imposed by the government.
Boris Johnson told Andy Burnham that he had until midday to agree to the tier three Covid-19 rules after 10 days of negotiations that have not yet reached an agreement.
Mr Burnham and other local leaders have been holding out for further financial support for businesses and workers that would be affected by entering the highest restrictions.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick added that the situation in the region is deteriorating and the government had no choice to act.
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However, Mr Jenrick said in a statement: ‘There are now more Covid-19 patients in Greater Manchester hospitals than in the whole of the South West and South East combined.
‘But, unfortunately, despite recognising the gravity of the situation, local leaders have been so far unwilling to take the action that is required to get this situation under control.
‘I have written to local leaders this evening to make clear that if we cannot reach agreement by midday tomorrow then I must advise the Prime Minister that despite our best endeavours we’ve been unable to reach agreement.’
Asked by the BBC what would happen if there was no agreement, Mr Jenrick said: ‘That is a matter for the Prime Minister.’
Business minister Nadhim Zahaw said he hoped Mr Burnham will accept the package offered by the government, warning that ‘the real risk’ is that the region will have ‘no ICU beds left’ by the first week of November as infections continue to rise.
He told Sky News: ‘We owe it to the people of Manchester to work together – let’s make this happen now.’
Mr Burnham said he had received a letter from Westminster last night ‘which was a bit provocative in that it was a late-night ultimatum’.
He told Sky News: ‘There was a reference in the letter to potential additional support. We have never had a figure for that – what that might mean – so it’s a bit odd to be given an ultimatum when we don’t think we’ve concluded those discussions.’
However, Mr Burnham added he will be meeting with other regional leaders this morning to suggest they write to the government ‘setting out what we think is a fair figure’ given they have already been living under restrictions for three months.
He also called for ‘full flexibility over that funding’ to ensure it goes to those who need the most support once the lockdown measures come into force.
Mr Burnham added: ‘All of the experts – chief medical officer, chief scientific adviser, the deputy chief medical officer – every single one of them has said to us they are not certain tier three will work.
‘The only way it’s got a chance of working is if you fully fund it so that lots of things can close so that they can have the maximum impact.
‘The problem with the government strategy is it isn’t doing that, it’s trying to penny pinch on tier three.
‘That’s the problem, I don’t think its own strategy will work. It’s not backing itself to make its strategy work.’
The leader of Manchester City Council, Sir Richard Leese, said he hoped there was still time to reach an agreement, but acknowledged that they would have to comply if the Government acted unilaterally.
He told BBC 2’s Newsnight: ‘I am hoping that tomorrow (Tuesday) morning we will be able to sit down again with ministers and come to an agreement which will serve the best interests of the people of Manchester.
‘Clearly if Government imposes tier three – and I hope that won’t happen – we will clearly need to comply with that.’
The statement follows a warning last week by Boris Johnson that the Government would act to impose the stricter measures it they could not get an agreement with local leaders.
It came after the latest talks on Monday aimed at securing an agreed way forward broke up without a deal.
In a joint statement, Mr Burnham and Sir Richard said they still hoped for a ‘positive outcome’.
But at the same time they made clear their determination to hold out for a financial support package.
They said it was ‘surprising and disappointing’ that an earlier offer of a hardship fund to top up furlough payments and support the self-employed had been taken ‘off the table’ by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
‘This evening we have written to the Prime Minister reiterating our willingness to continue to work towards an agreement but reminding him that Greater Manchester has been in tier two style restrictions for almost three months, and that this has taken a toll on people and businesses here,’ they said.
‘With this in mind, we do not believe it is in any way unreasonable for us to require better protection for our lowest-paid residents.’
Mr Burnham and Sir Richard also hit out at Downing Street for using ‘selective statistics’ to raise concern about the public health situation in the region.
It followed a warning from a Government spokesman that the entire intensive care capacity in Greater Manchester could be filled with Covid-19 patients by November 12 unless action was taken.
However the two leaders insisted the region’s intensive care occupancy rate was not abnormal for this time of year.
They said: ‘We are not complacent about the position in our hospitals and are monitoring the situation closely.
‘But in the current situation, we believe it is essential that our residents are given clear, accurate information about the state of the NHS in Greater Manchester and that public fears are not raised unnecessarily.’
Mr Jenrick insisted the discussions – which have been going on for 10 days – had been conducted in ‘good faith’.
He said they had offered an extensive package ‘proportionate’ to the approach taken in the Liverpool City Region and Lancashire.
Earlier, First Minister Mark Drakeford announced a two-week long ‘firebreak’ for Wales in an attempt to stem the spread of the disease there.
Mr Drakeford said it was designed to be a ‘short, sharp, shock to turn back the clock, slow down the virus and give us more time’.
Under the measures, from Friday at 6pm until Monday November 9, all non-essential retail, leisure, hospitality and tourism businesses will close ‘just as they had to during the March lockdown’.
Community centres, libraries and recycling centres will also close while places of worship will be shut other than for funerals or wedding ceremonies.
As of 9am on Monday, there had been a further 18,804 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to 741,212.
Another 80 deaths within 28 days of a positive test took the UK toll up to 43,726.
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