ANDY Burnham has accused Nicola Sturgeon of “insulting” the people of Greater Manchester after imposing a Scottish travel ban on the area.
The First Minister announced on Friday that all non-essential travel to Manchester and Salford would be banned from today.
Burnham complained that neither he nor his administration were contacted before the announcement – and warned people and businesses have been left out of pocket due to cancelled trips.
The Greater Manchester mayor says he is now writing to Holyrood to demand compensation – a suggestion that has already been dismissed by deputy first minister John Swinney.
Earlier today, Sturgeon suggested Burnham was inflaming the situation to raise his political profile ahead of a potential Labour leadership bid.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon tells Andy Burnham to have 'grown-up' chat about travel ban row
Those comments sparked fury from the mayor, who told Sky News: "I find that insulting, not for me, but for people here who are directly affected by what she announced.
"It's not just the direct impact on Greater Manchester, it's on our reputation as a city.
"If the First Minister of a country stands up at a press conference and announces that the UK's second city is going under a travel ban, it has an impact.
"People elsewhere in Europe, around the world, hear that. So it's not like it's just a sort of more localised thing between us and Scotland, it has an impact on our city region.
"I don't think we've been treated with the respect we deserve and I'm talking mainly there of the people of Greater Manchester, not myself."
Burnham reacted angrily to claims that he was politicising the situation for personal gain – and demanded clarity on the reasoning behind the travel ban.
He continued: "It's had an impact with people with holiday cottages booked, people who are having to go for work reasons.
"So to suggest, as the First Minister has done today, 'Oh, this is all about politics and posturing', well say that to them, say that to those people.
"Why is Bolton under a travel ban today, when it has a case rate that is quite a lot lower than Dundee? How is that fair?"
READ MORE: John Swinney knocks back Andy Burnham's demand for travel ban compensation
The First Minister had urged the mayor to have a “grown-up conversation” with her about the situation.
Burnham responded: “A conversation would be nice, if the Scottish Government had picked up the phone. They’ve changed the policy and that has impacted on people here.
“I think Nicola Sturgeon saying I should pick up the phone – well I’m more than happy to but shouldn’t they have picked up the phone before they did this? I want to hear from her how this can be fair.”
The Prime Minister's official spokesman was also asked about the travel ban.
He said: "Health is a devolved matter. It is for the Scottish Government to explain that decision."
Earlier, Swinney dismissed the request for financial renumeration as not "a relevant point".
"If he wants a grown-up conversation, he only has to pick up the phone"
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) June 21, 2021
Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon defends Manchester travel ban following criticism from Andy Burnhamhttps://t.co/KtOeMecokO pic.twitter.com/fQ8OG8zuIn
Sturgeon added: "These are public health measures. I have a duty, and it's one I take very seriously, to keep Scotland as safe as possible.
"I'm sure Andy Burnham feels the same sense of duty toward people in the Greater Manchester area.
"I've always got on well with Andy Burnham and if he wants to have a grown-up conversation he only has to pick up the phone but if, as I suspect might be the case, this is more about generating a spat with me as part of some positioning in a Labour leadership contest in future, then I'm not interested.
"We've all got a serious job of work to do right now and I'm serious about doing that job in a way that keeps Scotland as safe as I possibly can.”
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