Liverpool Mayor, Labour, And Bankruptcy

Labour has discarded a shortlist of three perfectly able candidates, all hoping to make their pitch to the party membership for the chance to succeed Joe Anderson, who will not be standing for re-election as Mayor of Liverpool. In their place we now have a shorter shortlist, of just two candidates. And for Labour, one very serious due diligence problem.

Joanne Anderson

The two new Mayoral hopefuls are Anthony Lavelle and Joanne Anderson (no relation to Joe), who are both currently Councillors. As the BBC has reported, “Joanne Anderson was only elected to the council in 2019, Anthony Lavelle hasn't been there much longer and is one of the youngest councillors in the city. Neither of them has held cabinet positions in the current administration. They are essentially back-benchers, which makes them fresh blood but will also raise questions about their level of experience”.

That won’t be the only question asked: Ms Anderson admits on her LinkedIn profile to being a business consultant for Innervision Consultancy. Companies House notes her directorship of the company. But the London Gazette also notes that a Joanne Anderson, with the same address, was declared bankrupt just over two years ago.

It gets worse: Ms Anderson’s LinkedIn profile also tells, in the Volunteer Experience category, that she was a “Trustee and Chair” at South Liverpool Personnel up to 2003. Once again, we see from the London Gazette that a Joanne Anderson, at the same address as a director of South Liverpool Personnel, was declared bankrupt in January 2003. Two bankruptcies. Both easy to find, and easy to link to Ms Anderson.

All of which leads us to a series of conclusions which will not make easy reading for those running the Labour Party. One, there has been a monumental due diligence failure. Two, every opposition party on Merseyside will think their birthdays have all come at once. Three, this sends the worst possible message to those three rejected candidates, none of whom has yet been told why they have been barred from standing.

And Four, our free and fearless press, especially that part controlled by the Murdoch mafiosi, which has seen its presence in Liverpool so diminished since the Hillsborough stadium disaster, will be down on Labour like the proverbial tonne of bricks. All the worst characterisations of Scousers will be exhumed in order to attack Labour.

Also, this raises questions about new look Labour under Keir Starmer and his chosen General Secretary David Evans. This blog will not be the first to pitch the question as to what they knew, and when they knew it. Someone who has been declared bankrupt twice may be a very able politician; that is not the point. The point is that Ms Anderson’s past gives opposition politicians, and the media, the opportunity for a proper field day.

Labour loused up when it discarded those three candidates. Sadly, the lousing up appears not to be over yet. There will be plenty of heads on Labour desks this morning.

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