CAZ, Russia and Covid rules: Everything Andy Burnham said on latest phone-in

Andy Burnham has called for 'tougher' sanctions on Russia following its invasion into Ukraine on his latest phone-in on BBC Radio Manchester.

The Greater Manchester mayor reflected on his time as Labour's shadow home secretary, claiming Corbyn's top team tried to 'water down' his speech on Russia, and said he saw people in Parliament becoming too close to Putin.

Speaking 'In The Hot Seat' with Mike Sweeney, he answered questions on the Clean Air Zone (CAZ), buses and the impact HS2 might have on the Metrolink.

READ MORE: Why would Russia invade Ukraine? - A simple explanation of the crisis in Eastern Europe

He also argued that stopping free Covid testing 'contradicts the NHS principle' and urged people to isolate if they are unwell despite isolation rules ending.

Burnham described Ukraine as a 'democracy under attack' and said the sanctions imposed on the Russian state so far are 'not good enough'.

The Labour mayor praised the 'show of strength and unity' from Western countries so far, but said the UK's sanctions 'have not lived up to the talk'.

He said: "These are really, really dark times for the Ukrainian people. We've just got to stand with them and stand up to somebody who, if we're honest, has been making unacceptable threats for at least 15 years now. We've got to recognise that we've not done enough to stand up to him up until this point."

Reflecting on his time as an MP, Burnham said he saw 'too many people get too close' to Russian money – but this was not just a problem on the right.

He claimed that Labour officials tried to 'water down' a statement he had prepared for Parliament which 'pulled no punches' on Putin and his regime.

The ex-shadow cabinet member said he 'couldn't get [his] head around' why