Liam Robinson named as Liverpool City Council's new Labour leader

Councillor Liam Robinson will replace Joanne Anderson as Labour group leader

The new leader of the Labour group on Liverpool City Council has been named.

Councillor Liam Robinson will replace Joanne Anderson, who will remain as city mayor until local elections in May, when the role of directly elected mayor of Liverpool will be abolished.

If the party win a majority in May, Mr Robinson will be council leader.

Mr Robinson, who was elected following a ballot of Labour councillors, said it was "an honour".

In a tweet Ms Anderson described Mr Robinson as "intelligent, hard-working and committed to the people of Liverpool" and said she was "confident he will make an excellent leader".

Mr Robinson said: "Despite all the challenges we face, I am excited to be taking on this role.

"Liverpool still has a bright future ahead of it and I want to do my bit to ensure that our next chapter is an exciting and successful one.

"If anyone has the grit, determination and creativity to make that vision a reality, it is Scousers," he said.

The chair of Merseytravel and councillor for Kensington and Fairfield since 2008, Mr Robinson said he was "under no illusions that the hard work starts now".

"My promise to the people of Liverpool is this - we do not and never will take your support for granted.

"I want to lead a strong and committed Labour team that builds a city that puts our people first, ensuring that all our residents in all parts of the city can share in our success."

Joanne Anderson will remain city mayor until May next year

Ms Anderson's role as city mayor will remain unchanged until her term ends in May 2023.

The mayoral system was controversially scrapped by councillors in July, despite a public consultation which showed people wanted to keep the directly-elected mayoral system.

Earlier this month, the government brought in a fifth commissioner to oversee functions at the city's council.

Commissioners were first appointed in 2021 over what parliament heard was a "serious breakdown of governance".