People in the north of England were more likely to die from Covid-19, were made poorer during the first year of pandemic and spent an additional six weeks in lockdowns, new analysis has revealed.

       Researchers analysed government statistics to see how areas in the northeast, northwest, Yorkshire and Humber compared to the rest of the country.

       The results showed that northerners had a higher mortality rate (17 per cent) due to Covid-19 than the rest of the country and a 14 per cent higher overall mortality due to all causes.