BRADFORD Council leader Susan Hinchclife said she had been told by ministers there was “no prospect” of a second national lockdown, during discussions about West Yorkshire being put into Tier 3.

Asked if compliance would be easier for those in West Yorkshire in a national lockdown rather than local restrictions, she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I’ve asked that question and I’ve been told that there is no prospect of a national lockdown.

“Obviously it’s a tiered approach that the Government are promoting.”

On a national lockdown, the councillor added: “Obviously that was the thing that works, that’s the only thing that we’ve seen that has worked, and the whole country was in it together and doing things together.

“There is something about people following rules and wanting to see the fairness of it all.”

Meanwhile, Naz Shah, Labour MP for Bradford West, told the Telegraph & Argus: "With the government preparing to place Bradford into Tier 3, with no exit strategy in sight, it highlights the government has no plan to control this virus.

"SAGE suggests there needs to be a complete circuit breaker, Labour is supporting that suggestion, and it's time the government listened and acted to prevent a further escalation to the current health and economic crisis. "

Follow our live updates as crunch talks continue today by clicking here.