Defiant City Mayor Shows Johnson Grip Slipping on U.K. Lockdowns

(Bloomberg) --

Boris Johnson’s push to get Britons back to work suffered an early setback as the mayor of Greater Manchester turned against the U.K. government’s “completely illogical” strategy for easing a local lockdown.

Andy Burnham, a former cabinet minister for the opposition Labour Party, had faithfully followed government guidance on restricting movement for 2.8 million people he represents in northwest England. But the announcement that rules should be eased in areas with high numbers of infections -- and kept in place in those with smaller outbreaks -- proved a step too far.

“We find ourselves at a completely unsustainable position,” Burnham told the BBC on Wednesday. The rules were “always hard to explain to the public, but they’re completely illogical now,” he added.

Johnson’s government relies on local leaders to enforce coronavirus regulations and to quell outbreaks, making them a key part of his plan to open up the economy. Any further rebellions like Burnham’s will bolster the sense of an administration struggling to get a grip on the crisis.

Ministers had pressed ahead with the rule changes after Graham Brady, an influential member of Johnson’s Conservative Party, backed the lifting of restrictions in Trafford -- the district southwest of Manchester he represents in Parliament -- despite local council leaders arguing it was too dangerous.

There are 35.4 cases per 100,000 people in the borough, a level which would trigger quarantine measures for returning travelers if it was another country.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.