Attempting to get help from government ahead of the coronavirus lockdown was “a waste of time, effort and energy” according to the Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor.
Giving evidence to the UK Covid-19 inquiry, Steve Rotheram said officials from 10 Downing Street “blanked everything” and pleas from the city region “fell on deaf ears” during March 2020. Following on from other Metro Mayors, the former Labour MP said a number of decisions made in Whitehall came as a surprise to the region, including moving into Tier 3 and the decision to isolate those repatriating from Wuhan in Arrowe Park Hospital.
Mr Rotheram also said how former Prime Minister Boris Johnson reneged on a deal on how moving to the tiering system would work for the region.
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Sitting for an hour-long session, the Metro Mayor said during the pandemic he was “very vocal to ensure our voices were heard over the clamour of other areas of the country.” In January 2020, 83 British nationals were taken to Arrowe Park hospital to quarantine having returned from Wuhan, China, thought to have been the epicentre of the virus.
Mr Rotheram told the inquiry how he learned of this decision by watching the news on television and no further advanced warning had been given from government to Wirral Council. He said: “It was the way in which things were conducted early on.”
(Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)
The Metro Mayor added how “for nearly every major announcement” he and officials were learning by television, including relaxation of lockdown measures and the widely criticised Eat Out to Help Out scheme. He accused the government of making life difficult on messaging, saying officials would “flip flop” making it hard for the city region to speak with one voice.
This was particularly prevalent in October 2020, Mr Rotheram said, when a deal was being negotiated with the government over the tiering system. The former councillor told the inquiry how he held a call with then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson to ensure messaging was clear about the change in circumstances.
Mr Rotheram said he advised Mr Johnson 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. The Prime Minister 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.” This included a flurry of messages on social media, including threats to Mr Rotheram, which led to round the clock police protection.
On March 11, the World Health Organisation formally declared Covid-19 a pandemic. This was also the same day Liverpool lost at home to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
Mr Rotheram said at the time, it felt like “the government didn’t seem to have a strategy” to tackle the increasing cases. He said “on the front lines” it felt like Mr Johnson’s reported “pile the bodies high” viewpoint was government policy and ministers were “going to let rip.”
The Metro Mayor, who attended the game at Anfield, said the government had determined it was a “low risk” fixture and he had received no consultation about a possible postponement, given high cases in Spain and a rising number in the UK. He added how there had been “no scientific evidence to support our concerns” and there would likely have been a “sigh of relief” had it not gone ahead.
The former Labour MP added: “It was a waste of time, effort and energy trying to get them to help or advise.” Mr Rotheram said pleas from the city region and elsewhere would “fall on deaf ears” before ministers engaged later in the year.
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