A poll of those living in the north of England has found a majority think the government is treating the south of England better with its coronavirus response.
A YouGov survey commissioned by BBC North West after the city was placed into Tier 3 showed that 67% of people asked thought that the South was being given better treatment – with only 1% believing the opposite was true.
At the weekend, regional mayors said Boris Johnson had shown that he thinks voters in the North are worth less than those in the South after announcing an extension to the furlough scheme as part of national coronavirus restrictions that was not offered to those regions placed in Tier 3 weeks before.
The poll, of 1,028 people, found that 70% of respondents believe the government is handling Covid-19 badly; and 61% disapprove of Johnson’s handling of the issue, with 67% having either not much or no confidence in the prime minister making the right decisions.
A total of 60% support England going into a national lockdown, with 48% believing that decisions around lockdown measures should happen at the same time for the whole of England, even if some areas are at different levels than others at reducing the spread of the virus.
More people approved of Burnham’s handling of the coronavirus situation than Johnson’s – with 56% supporting Burnham, compared with just 23% approving of the prime minister, and 58% trusting the mayor to make the right decisions.
They also supported the move into Tier 3 for Greater Manchester – with 54% approving of the tougher restrictions – but only 26% thought it would be effective at reducing the spread of coronavirus.
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