As many as 12 million people in England could be under Tier 3 lockdown restrictions within days, meaning pubs will close and household mixing will be banned.
Boris Johnson has put a whole host of northern cities on notice, with full-scale regional lockdowns on the cards after Manchester was finally forced into submission.
Eleven days of talks over Government support broke down after Greater Manchester Mayor Burnham rejected the £60million package on offer.
Now the region will join Merseyside and Lancashire in being thrust into the highest category of lockdown for at least 28 days from midnight on Thursday, further pitting Tory MPs in the North against the under fire PM.
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