The First Minister pointed out the stark contradiction between what Andy Burnham has been saying in recent days and his own authoritys clear advice to minimise travel, a source close to the First Minister said.
Burnham had no proper answer to that. His attempted explanation was incoherent and absurd.
However, Mr Burnham is said to have argued that the advice reflects the UK Governments position, rather than his own, and that it is not backed up by law as is the case with Ms Sturgeons rules.
The mayor has said he will consider taking legal action to win compensation for his constituents, some of whom he said had lost thousands of pounds after booking holidays which they have now been forced to cancel.
He has criticised the ban as illogical and over-the-top, particularly as Dundee has a proportionally higher number of cases than some areas covered by the travel restrictions. There are also parts of England with higher virus rates with no travel ban.
A spokesman for Mr Burnham said: We are surprised that the Scottish Government has briefed details of a discussion in what we were told was a confidential meeting. But, given this has happened, we need to be clear on what was said.
The First Minister accepted that she should have told the mayor before she announced her decision. We also welcome her acceptance that the Scottish Government needs to provide more information about how they reach their decisions on bringing in regulations and travel bans that affect other parts of the United Kingdom.”
He added: We are, however, disappointed that the First Minister completely dismissed the financial impact her decision has had on residents in Bolton, Manchester, and Salford, and the need for her government to consider providing compensation.
“These people had no advance notice, no ability to change their plans and are now left out of pocket.”
