Portrait of the week: A Manchester stand-off, a Presidential showdown and a Brexit culture clash

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After ten days spent trying to persuade Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, to accede to the city entering Tier 3 (which entails the closing of pubs and betting shops), Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, announced that it would happen anyway, from 23 October. ‘I am deeply sorry,’ he said. Manchester had wanted £65 million in support first. Liverpool complained that it was not allowed to keep gyms open when Lancashire was. The nine million people of London languished in Tier 2, forbidden to meet anyone at home or in a pub, except if they pretended it was a business meeting. Scotland hatched plans for its own tiers. Wales imposed a ‘firebreak’, rather than a circuit breaker, from 23 October to 9 November, prohibiting different households from mixing even outdoors, older pupils from attending school, and pubs, churches and ‘non-essential’ shops from opening. Students had to stay in their university accommodation rather than going home.