(Ashton-under-Lyne) (Lab): We know that a public
health response will save lives only if it is supported by a fair
economic settlement. The British people want to do the right
thing, and they will do the right thing, but we need to support
them in doing so. That is why I was so appalled by what I
witnessed yesterday. I was with fellow Greater Manchester MPs on
a Zoom call with the Health Secretary, who was
handing us scraps from the Prime Minister, while our elected
Mayor found out from Twitter. The Government then tried to blame
it all on our Mayor for not doing what he was ordered to do from
Whitehall. I have heard of power without accountability, but
apparently the Government’s idea of devolution is accountability
without the power...
(Sheffield South
East) (Lab):...The most stupid thing of all—I know that the
Minister will not have an answer to this because nobody could
give me an answer on the Zoom call this morning; they
tried to, but it was a piece of nonsense—is that in my
constituency during the last lockdown, people got great enjoyment
from walking in the Moss valley, where the footpaths run between
Sheffield and Derbyshire. When people walk on those footpaths,
they walk between a tier 3 area and a tier 2 area, but the
Government advice says that they are not supposed to leave a tier
3 area. I asked this morning whether people should stop at the
boundary on those footpaths, and then turn around and come back.
It is an unmarked boundary, so people would have to look at an
Ordnance Survey map to find its location. I was told that that is
the Government guidance now—that is, if someone is walking on a
rural footpath, with no chance of giving covid to anyone, they
should stop at that imaginary boundary, turn around and come
back. I am sorry, but it is that sort of stupid, simplistic
advice that brings the whole system into disrepute...
