It's definitely surprising, I thought eventually they would just make an offer that would blow INEOS out of the water and force the Glazer's hands. It's possible that they still will now they know approximately to what INEOS' best offer amounts.
It's a state bid, the resources available to them are pretty much unlimited and yet as far as we are aware they've thus far offered less per share than INEOS. Those promises unless they actually make an offer that convinces the Glazer's to sell are worthless. To take it to an extreme someone could offer £10 for the club and promise to invest £3 billion in the stadium and the club, that isn't going to be accepted.