The National:

LISA Nandy's comments about not being invited to a coronavirus restrictions briefing show her hypocrisy over Scottish independence, a Scottish journalist and broadcaster has pointed out.

National columnist Stuart Cosgrove hit out at the Labour MP for Wigan after she criticised the way the Tory Government revealed details of new restrictions in Northern England.

Boris Johnson set out his his three-tier strategy in a Commons statement tonight.

Parts of the North of England are bracing themselves for the most stringent Tier 3 controls, with Merseyside expected to have its pubs, gyms and casinos closed in a bid to suppress its infection rate.

READ MORE: English MPs not invited to 'shambolic' briefing on Northern lockdown restrictions

Nandy said: “Just learnt Greater Manchester will be placed into tier 2 restrictions via twitter. Apparently there was a government briefing for GM MPs but I can’t provide details because I wasn’t invited. I suspect this is because they don’t know where Wigan is. What an absolute shambles.”

Cosgrove criticised Nandy's stance, describing it as "unfair".

He tweeted: "That’s the shambles you want to shackle Scotland to, Lisa. Feeling good about elected representatives being excluded? Don’t no where you are on the map. That’s what you demand Scotland puts up with. Unfair isn’t it."

Nandy has come under fire in the past for her comments on another independence referendum, suggesting a good way to win the argument on indyref2 was to learn “lessons” from Catalonia.

READ MORE: Catalan politician slams Lisa Nandy over independence comments

In August, Johnson blocked a proposal by Michael Gove to shore up the Union by inviting Nicola Sturgeon to take a seat at the Government’s cabinet table.

And in May the UK Government stopped Holyrood ministers from seeing vital data collected at rapid coronavirus testing sites across Scotland.

READ MORE: UK Government blocked Holyrood access to data from Scots testing sites

Last month Sturgeon and Kate Forbes, Scotland's Finance Minster, called for more financial powers to fight coronavirus.

She said her point reflected her worry as First Minister “that we must not be hamstrung in essential public health decisions by the lack of necessary economic mitigations”.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon urges Westminster to provide powers needed to fight Covid-19