Liverpool City Region’s Metro Mayor required police protection outside his home after receiving a barrage of abuse over covid-19 lockdowns.
In October 2020, Liverpool entered Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions amid rapidly rising cases and pressures on NHS beds as the city grappled with the virus. Then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the wider city region would receive £30m in government support throughout the period.
Giving evidence at the UK Covid-19 inquiry on Monday, Mayor Steve Rotheram said how Mr Johnson reneged on a deal to manage messaging over the impact of the tiering system, leading to abusive messages online and police stationed outside his home.
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When the announcement was made on October 14, 2020, more than 250 people across Liverpool were in hospital as a result of covid-19, with 3,000 new cases reported the week previously. Leaders worked with government in an attempt to negotiate a deal to support the region’s wider economy.
Tier 3 measures included closing wet pubs and other businesses, varying according to local needs.
Addressing the inquiry, Mr Rotheram said on the day the tiering system was confirmed for Liverpool, he held a call with Mr Johnson on how to communicate compliance. He said he advised the ex-MP that a “Tory Prime Minister might not be the best person" to communicate this to the Liverpool City Region and a joint communications strategy was needed.
Mr Johnson agreed to this, according to Mr Rotheram, and it was decided a call would be held between officials to “nail down” wording. Mr Johnson went on to unilaterally announce the move to Tier 3 for Liverpool later that day.
The call never took place. The Metro Mayor said he and his team had no notification of this and were left to “pick up the pieces.”
Mr Rotheram said when this was announced, social media “exploded” including a series of abusive messages, which led to police officers being stationed outside his house around the clock for protection. He added how he was sure the former PM never intended to cause this, but it had been a consequence of his move to not work alongside the city region.
The decision to go into Tier 3 came as a “surprise” to Mr Rotheram, he said, given the negotiating that had gone on between city region officials and government. He said having read a Times article that Liverpool would go into Tier 3 before it was confirmed, it seemed a “fait accompli” by the time it was announced at 10 Downing Street.
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