The government ministers and officials who spoke of a 'punishment beating' for Greater Manchester during the pandemic when local leaders resisted tougher Covid restrictions without adequate funding have been named.
Andy Burnham's behaviour during his stand-off with the government in autumn 2020 was described as 'appalling' at the meeting attended by the UK's top politicians and advisers.
The Greater Manchester mayor revealed some of the contents of the minutes from that meeting when he appeared at the Covid inquiry last month.
The minutes from the Covid-O cabinet committee meeting he referred to have now been published by the inquiry. The meeting took place on October 15, 2020 - one week before Tier 3 measures were forced on Greater Manchester despite the government failing to reach an agreement over a financial support package for businesses and staff affected.