A TORY MSP’s decision to tell BBC Radio Manchester listeners to “please” come to Scotland despite travel restrictions due to rising Covid-19 cases was “deeply unhelpful”, according to a public health expert.

Stephen Reicher, a member of the Sage subcommittee advising the UK Government on its pandemic response, hit out at Murdo Fraser after his intervention in the ongoing row.

Yesterday legal restrictions on travel between Scotland, and Manchester and Salford, came in, as the cities saw increasing coronavirus cases. Rates in Manchester and Salford are 346.6 and 335.3 cases per 100,000 people respectively.

READ MORE: Anger as Tory MSP tells people in Manchester to 'please' come to Scotland

The Scottish Government decision sparked a backlash from Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who said he was not contacted before the decision was made. He is calling for compensation for people in his area left out of pocket due to the travel ban.

Burnham (below) had threatened legal action against Holyrood ministers over the ban, but later walked this back – telling The National that he will meet the First Minister in an effort for “better dialogue” on the matter.

Amid the cross-Border argument, Fraser, an MSP for the Mid Scotland and Fife region, was interviewed by BBC Radio Manchester’s Phil Trow.

The National:

Fraser criticised the “lack of consistency” in the rules, saying Covid rates in Dundee are comparable to those in the north-west English cities but no restrictions have been put in place there.

He then encouraged residents to visit Scotland despite the restrictions, and said the First Minister “is not representing the Scottish people when she makes these comments”.

“The message I’d like to send to all your listeners in Manchester is please come to Scotland,” he told Trow.

“We would like you, we would love you to come Scotland. The weather here is glorious at the moment, and we’re ready and open for visitors so please come and don’t be put off.”

The comments sparked a furious row on social media. The Scottish Government was contacted for comment.

READ MORE: Andy Burnham and Nicola Sturgeon to meet in search for 'better dialogue'

Reicher told The National: “I think this is a deeply unhelpful intervention.

“First of all, what we need above all is clarity about what the rules are and the basis for those rules. I think it is perfectly reasonable to ask about the criteria for travel rules and to ask for clear communication about travel rules. But this does nothing to help achieve such clarity.”

The professor added that it’s also important to consider how people will identify risks and make choices about their actions and staying Covid-safe even when all rules are removed.

“One of those [ways] will be to think very carefully about the risks of spreading infection into areas of low incidence,” he said. “Simply calling for a free-for-all encourages irresponsibility and is therefore itself highly irresponsible.”

The Scottish Conservatives have been contacted for comment.

The Scottish Government plans to move out of Covid-19 restrictions on August 9 if possible, Sturgeon announced this afternoon.

The National:

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, she said changes to current restriction levels in Scotland will be postponed until July 19.

The First Minister said on that date it is hoped all of Scotland can move to the lowest level of restrictions, level 0, three weeks later than initially planned on June 28.

Meanwhile Scotland recorded four new coronavirus deaths and 2167 new cases in the past 24 hours, according to the latest figures.

It means the death toll under this daily measure – of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days – is now 7696.

The daily test positivity rate jumped to 9.1%, up from 7.2% the previous day, according to figures published by the Scottish Government.