Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram met with new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street this morning.
Mayor Rotheram and other English mayors met with the new Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who is also heading up the Department of Communities and Local Government in the new government.
In one of her first moves, Ms Rayner announced she has dropped the title ‘Levelling Up’ from the name of the department – describing the name as a “gimmick” of the last Conservative government.
The leaders met today to discuss a “major programme of devolution” and a plan to “shift power out of Westminster” to areas like the Liverpool City Region.
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Ms Rayner said that for too long, Westminster has “tightly gripped control and held back opportunities for towns, cities and villages across the UK.”
She added: “Work will now continue at pace to deliver on manifesto commitments to transfer power out of Whitehall, and into our communities, with upcoming devolution legislation to take back control.”
The ECHO understands that Mayor Rotheram entered Downing Street just after 9am this morning for the meeting. He and other mayors will be asked to identify local specialisms that can contribute to the Labour government’s national industrial strategy and its plan for growth.
Mayor Rotheram is likely to push the Liverpool City Region’s green credentials in any meetings with the new government. He has previously said he believes the natural assets of this region mean it is now the country’s ‘renewable energy coast’ and can build on this through on and offshore wind generation, hydrogen, carbon capture and tidal power.
It is tidal power that will bring about perhaps the biggest ask from the Liverpool City Region Mayor. The region’s combined authority is pushing ahead with plans for a major tidal barrage project that could be built across the River Mersey between Liverpool and Wirral and that it is hoped could generate clean, predictable energy for 120 years and create thousands of local jobs.
But while the plans are moving forward in terms of design and concept – they will rely on a billion-pound investment from the government to be fully realised.
Another topic that will undoubtedly have been raised at today’s Downing Street meeting is transport. In May, the city region combined authority produced a striking vision for a drastically rebuilt Liverpool Central Station and surrounding area which forms part of a wider plan for a higher speed rail line between this city and Manchester.
The Prime Minister used his first press conference in office to make clear he wants to push the devolution agenda and release more power to regions like this one. He said he believes it is those with “skin in the game” who “know best what they need” in their local areas.
The government plans to draw up a new devolution bill to be launched at next week’s king’s speech in Parliament.
In Labour’s manifesto, the party pledged to create a council of regions and nations, so that the government will regularly hear the views of leaders across the devolved nations and regions of the country.
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William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
