NICOLA Sturgeon has accused Andy Burnham of escalating a war of words with the Scottish Government to boost his profile ahead of a future Labour leadership bid.

The First Minister urged the Greater Manchester mayor to have a “grown-up conversation” after he again criticised Holyrood for announcing a travel ban at short notice.

The Labour politician accused the Scottish Government of “hypocrisy” and said he was writing to Sturgeon to demand compensation for those who had to cancel trips to Scotland.

Deputy first minister John Swinney dismissed the request for financial renumeration as not "a relevant point".

WATCH: Furious Andy Burnham accuses Nicola Sturgeon of 'insulting' Manchester

Having her say on the comments, the First Minister told BBC News: "These are public health measures. I have a duty, and it's one I take very seriously, to keep Scotland as safe as possible.

"I'm sure Andy Burnham feels the same sense of duty toward people in the Greater Manchester area.

"I've always got on well with Andy Burnham and if he wants to have a grown-up conversation he only has to pick up the phone but if, as I suspect might be the case, this is more about generating a spat with me as part of some positioning in a Labour leadership contest in future, then I'm not interested.

"We've all got a serious job of work to do right now and I'm serious about doing that job in a way that keeps Scotland as safe as I possibly can."

Scottish Labour leader branded the SNP leader's response immature.

He commented: "What a pathetic and childish response from Nicola Sturgeon. This isn’t 'grown-up' leadership. It’s petty politics at its worst."

Burnham increased speculation about a future leadership bid in May when he said he was "there if the party needed" him following the party’s dismal local election results.

Sturgeon announced on Friday that all non-essential travel to Manchester and Salford would be banned from today.

Burnham complained that neither he nor his administration were not contacted before the announcement.

READ MORE: John Swinney knocks back Andy Burnham's demand for travel ban compensation

He told the Andrew Marr Show yesterday that he was “really disappointed” by the First Minister’s announcement, which he described as “out of the blue”.

"That is exactly what the SNP always accuse the Westminster Government of doing, riding roughshod over people,” the mayor said.

"The SNP are treating the north of England with the same contempt in bringing that in without any consultation with us."

He added: "I just think it's double standards, it's hypocrisy. They've done to us exactly what they always complain that the UK Government does to Scotland."

Speaking earlier today, Swinney defended the Scottish Government’s decision.

He commented: "We have got to take decisions based on the data and the evidence that presents itself, and take decisions which are designed to stop the spread of the virus.

"In our judgment, the rising case numbers and the high levels of the virus in the Greater Manchester and Salford area justified the decision we took and we are taking that to try and minimise the circulation of the virus."

When questioned about the last-minute nature of the ban, he added: "That is something we will reflect on but we put in place very similar provisions in relation to Bolton, which is part of the Greater Manchester area, back in May, and we've just followed exactly the same approach in relation to this decision."