Could local lockdowns end up making left behind places even poorer?

Are the localised Covid restrictions exacerbating the gaping regional inequalities and making the ‘levelling up’ ambitions of the government harder still? Ben Chu investigates

Political leaders in Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester (pictured) have pointed to the devastating economic impact of the tighter restrictions in their areas (Getty)

Is the coronavirus actually levelling Britain down?   

Different parts of the UK have been subject to different levels of restrictions in this pandemic. On the face of it this discrepancy is justified by the varying rates at which the infection is spreading around the country. 

In England, parts of the northwest are currently registering around 80 new daily cases per 100,000 people – which means the epidemic is spreading around eight times faster there than it is in the southeast.