What time is the Greater Manchester Tier 2 or Tier 3 announcement today?

Matt Hancock will reveal which tier each part of England will be in for Christmas in a statement today.

The whole of Greater Manchester is currently under Tier 3 - the toughest set of lockdown restrictions.

Though there is hope among local leaders that the region may be moved down a tier, as case numbers have been dropping overall for some time.

In Tier 2, pubs and restaurants would be allowed to reopen in time for the festive period, though 'substantial meals' must be served with alcohol.

The Health Secretary will make the announcement on tier allocations in a statement at 11.30am today, it has been confirmed.

Any changes to tiers are expected to come into force from 12.01am on Saturday (December 19).

London and parts of the south east have already been escalated into Tier 3 and reports suggest the number of people living under the toughest restrictions could increase.

The latest figures reveal the infection rate for Greater Manchester in the week ending December 12 stood at 156.2 per 100,000.

During the same period, the infection rate in London rocketed by 69 per cent to 324.1.

The national average for England was recorded at 205.7.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham urged the government to consider the fact that the region has been under tough restrictions for four-and-a-half months.

He also urged the government to consider moving some parts of the region into Tier 2, if not the entire conurbation.

"If the Government does not want to put Greater Manchester as a whole in Tier 2, particularly given the fact a couple of our boroughs are above the national average or close to it, we do still believe there is a very strong case for a substantial part of the city region to be placed in Tier 2", the mayor said.

"We would ask the Government to give regard to the fact we have been under restrictions for four-and-a-half months, that would mean five months by the next review period."

The tier announcement comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted he did not want to 'cancel' Christmas, but said people should prepare for a 'smaller, safer' festive period.

Confirming the 'Christmas window' allowing three households to join together between December 23 and 27 would go ahead, Mr Johnson said people would be left to make individual judgments on whether Christmas celebrations were worth the risk, with warnings to avoid elderly relatives and a recommendation to isolate beforehand.