ANDY Burnham has stepped up his attack on the Scottish Government, accusing Holyrood ministers of "hypocrisy" over a travel ban on north-west England.
Nicola Sturgeon announced on Friday all non-essential travel to Manchester and Salford would be banned from tomorrow, but the Greater Manchester mayor said he nor his administration were not contacted before the announcement.
Burnham yesterday hit out at the move in a statement on Twitter and extended his criticism when he appeared on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show today.
The mayor said he would be writing to the Scottish Government to demand compensation for people who had booked visits to Scotland and then had to cancel.
"I was really disappointed on Friday that the First Minister of Scotland just announced out of the blue, as far as we were concerned, a travel ban saying that people couldn't travel from Scotland to Manchester and Salford and people couldn't go the other way," Burnham said.
READ MORE: Covid: Nicola Sturgeon confirms travel ban between Scotland and Salford and Manchester
"That is exactly what the SNP always accuse the Westminster Government of doing, riding roughshod over people.
"The SNP are treating the north of England with the same contempt in bringing that in without any consultation with us."
He added: "I just think it's double standards, it's hypocrisy.
"They've done to us exactly what they always complain that the UK Government does to Scotland."
Burnham said he would be looking for his constituents who planned to travel north of the Border to be financially compensated by the Scottish Government.
"I'll be writing to the First Minister today," he said.
"I'll be asking for compensation for the individuals who might lose holidays and the businesses who might lose bookings.
READ MORE: Covid update: Travel ban announced between Scotland and parts of England
"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 – we could have come up with a different arrangement if the First Minister had been in touch with us."
He went on to say there should be "an arrangement" put in place, which would mean there would have to be consultation between Scotland and the north of England before such a travel ban was put in place.
Announcing the ban to Manchester and Salford, the First Minister pinpointed the areas as Covid-19 hotspots and said travel to the two cities would not be permitted.
A travel ban between Scotland and Blackburn, Darwen and Bolton and Bedford was announced by the First Minister on May 21, though the restrictions on travel to Bedford was removed on Friday by the First Minister.
At that time she said that while a wider legal ban would not be placed at that point on other areas of Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Bedfordshire she advised Scots not to travel there.
She added: "We are not placing legal restrictions on travel to Lancashire or Greater Manchester more widely or to areas around Bedfordshire.
"If you are planning to visit these areas in the next few days please consider whether you need to make the visit or whether it can be delayed."
Responding to Burnham's criticism a Scottish Government spokesman said on Saturday: “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.”
Asked about the travel ban to Manchester and Salford Scottish Government trade minister Ivan McKee said a decision on Covid-19 had to be made quickly.
"The virus, as we know, moves very fast, decisions are made very fast and those decisions are communicated at a four nations level," he told the BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show.
"Andy Burnham ... is going to write to the First Minister about it, that's absolutely fine and I'm sure there will be a conversation about how we can keep him better informed in future."
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