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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Liam Thorp

The email Joe Anderson believes exposes his leadership rival

As the bitter battle for control of Liverpool's Labour Party and city council continues - Joe Anderson has released an email that he believes exposes his challenger - Councillor Ann O'Byrne.

After polls closed on election night one week ago - Cllr O'Byrne stunned the party by tabling a motion with the aim of removing Mayor Anderson's position from beneath him.

The move has only exacerbated the civil war engulfing the city's ruling group - and yesterday we published an extraordinary chain of emails between councillors - and the Mayor - which highlighted just how toxic the situation in the party has now become.

This is all leading up to what is set to be a hugely significant and potentially explosive meeting of the Labour group on Monday evening, where Cllr O'Byrne hopes her plan to move from a Mayoral model, back to a leader and cabinet model - will be debated and backed.

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If it goes forward, she has confirmed she will run to be leader of the council.

The Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson at his office in the Cunard Building. (James Maloney)

Mayor Anderson has responded in typically combative fashion to the challenge from his deputy group leader - who quit as his Deputy Mayor last year.

After calling Cllr O'Byrne's plan 'ignorant' and accusing her of putting politics above the needs of the city - he has accused her of being two-faced and issued an old email in a bid to prove it.

In his email response to Cllr O'Byrne's message to the Labour group - seen by the ECHO - Mayor Anderson has reproduced in full an email sent by Cllr O'Byrne in May 2017 to Labour members concerning the selection of a new Member of Parliament for Walton.

Mayor Anderson put his name forward for that position - but was one of a number of local people to miss out as then Unite staffer Dan Carden was selected by a Labour panel.

Mr Carden went on to be elected by a landslide and has become hugely popular in the Walton community ever since - while also being promoted to Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet.

Joe Anderson reacts to local election results

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson reacts to Labour losses in the local election

Cllr O'Byrne has regularly been seen working with Mr Carden in her local area - but Mayor Anderson has implied she did not want him there in the first place.

He wrote: "People’s views change, especially when they have the full facts.

"Indeed I recall that your views have changed, from being a full supporter of retaining the City Mayor, when you were supporting me to become Regional Mayor, to today where you are opposed. I know how hard it must be for you to keep track of the number of times you have changed your mind.

"I also recall another occasion when you stressed your support for the City Mayor.

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"This was when I went for the candidacy for Walton and I remember it so well because you were in my office and had shown me your letter to (then Labour General Secretary) Ian McNicol, which I have copied below for ease of reference, when you were angry about the imposition of Dan Carden when we discussed it and you made it clear how you supported retaining the City Mayor, again maybe because you thought that it would be you."

The email from Cllr O'Byrne (reproduced by Mayor Anderson) talks about the concerns of an 'imposed candidate for Walton' and calls for a meeting to discuss how a 'local candidate with a proven track record of delivering for Walton should be our future MP.'

Responding to Mayor Anderson's comments, Cllr O'Byrne said she had always maintained that when it came to selecting Mr Carden as Walton MP, it was a case of 'wrong process but right result.'

She added: "Under normal circumstances local party members should always get to choose their own candidate, this just wasn’t possible in 2017 because of the snap general election.

"As a Walton Member and Councillor I always said I’d work with whoever the MP was.

"Thankfully Dan has more than proven himself. He’s a great representative for Liverpool in parliament, for Walton, and the 36,175 people who voted Labour made the right choice in 2017."

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