Steve Rotheram criticised the “Punch and Judy” politics of Westminster today as he said that the real issues affecting working people were being ignored among the speculation about Kier Starmer’s future.
Mr Rotheram, the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, was asked about whether the Prime Minister should stand down during a live interview on BBC Radio Merseyside.
He said: “One of the reasons I left Westminster was because of the Punch and Judy politics.”
The Metro Mayor added: “What I want is for the Labour Party to stop scoring own goals and for us to concentrate on what we need to do, and that is delivering for the people in this country.”
Referring to the looming by-election in Gorton and Denton, where Labour faces a fight to retain the seat, Mr Rotheram said: “I do think with the support of Andy Burnham that the by-election could be won for Labour.”
Speaking on BBC Radio Merseyside’s Hotseat phone-in, Mr Rotheram also touched the rise of Reform. He said that the party represented “an existential threat to the country, not the Labour Party”.
He added: “I think it’s quite worrying that reform in working class areas are doing as well as they are doing and they are picking up votes and seats of people they proport to represent, but have absolutely nothing to offer working class people.”
Mr Rotheram called for greater devolution to regions such as Liverpool.
He claimed: “Even with devolution, we are still the most politically centralised democracy in the OECD.
“We need to drag, kicking and screaming sometimes, power away from the centre.”
Photo Credit: Scottish Government. Used under Creative Commons license
