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Saturday 6 March 2021

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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11 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's not accidental "lousing up". It's DELIBERATE. Standard undermining tactics similar to the "antisemitism" lying bullshit.

All laughably obvious. And, long term, won't work.

And if you think that's bad....keep your eye on certain red tory Widnes councillors being groomed for later injection. Don't say you haven't been warned.

Jan Brooker said...

There are, apparently. also skeletons in the 25-year-olds closet as well!

Steve Woods said...

Could things get any worse for Labour in Liverpool?

Yes indeed. The Guardian is reporting that Anna Rothery, current lord mayor of Liverpool and one of the three original mayoral candidates dropped by the party, is suing Labour.

Jonathan said...

If you have been in Labour politics in the North West in the last 30 years, you will know of the dirty deeds and shenigans that NW Regional Office get into to impose on CLPs 'on message' Blairite candidates who are deemed essentially malleable to Labour HQ's RW agenda.

Expect another defeat in the courts for Labour, another case of control freakery by Evans & Starmer.

Either the pair are grossly incompetent or Tory stooges, either way, they're on course to bankrupt the party and worsen it's reputation as a laughing stock.

Let's hope Anna Rothery wins and Jeremy Corbyn wins his case against Evans.

Former members like myself, warned that Evans has a reputation for incompetence and is on record as saying he wants to get rid of party democracy!

Anonymous said...

Well, the Starmer Quiff WAS warned not to take on Liverpool..... Looks like another (red) tory scalp in the offing.....

WIH said...

Presumably it wasn't financial embarrassments that guided the disbarring of the first 3 then? Could only be the endorsement by Jeremy Corbyn that sank Anna Rotheray.

WIH said...

The advert accompanying this article is ill-chosen (or well chosen). It seems endorsement of one of the first 3 candidates by Jeremy Corbyn is the more likely reason.

pirate said...

The 3 previous candidates all had issues. It s noticeable how quite they have been over the quizzing.

O'Bryne has questions over her driving and money missing in a Car Park CIC.
Rothery her support for Corbyn and comments around antisemitism.
Wendy and Obryne have been highly placed in the Anderson era, which is currently under investigation.

Anonymous said...

Would those skeletons be linked to the Croxteth crew and boy that was killed?

jgordon5 said...

I think you sum it up for Anna Rothery in the phrase "support for Corbyn". We do absolutely know that the antisemitism smear against Corbyn and those who supported him, was exactly that and more about their support for Palestinians' human rights.

Anonymous said...

Even by Starmer Quiff Quisling "standards" those allegations are pathetic right wing bullshit.