From Bricklayer to Mayor: Steve Rotheram Quietly Building a Liverpool Success Story
Steve Rotheram, the Liverpool city region mayor since 2017, has built a reputation for delivering projects quietly. A former bricklayer who left school at 16, he helped rebuild the Falkland Islands and has personally endured family trauma linked to the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 and the Manchester Arena attack in 2017, where his two daughters were present but unharmed.
Rotheram is leading a government-backed development plan on a 174-hectare site beside the £800 million Hill Dickinson stadium, which will create 17,000 new homes and commercial premises over 15 years. Transport and infrastructure improvements under his agenda include the introduction of the first new Mersey ferry in 60 years, set to sail in 2026, a potential high-speed rail link to Manchester, and a £2.5 billion revamp of Liverpool Central station.
Cultural and economic boosts have followed notable events such as Eurovision 2023, which paved the way for multimillion-pound concerts by artists like Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, and the Rolling Stones. Rotheram has also secured support from ministers for reforms including an overnight accommodation levy and changes to Treasury spending in the regions.
He has cultivated a strong professional relationship with Whitehall and is often described by aides as a 'Treasury whisperer.' Politically, Rotheram has close ties to Andy Burnham, regarded as the 'king of the north,' but he does not pursue a path to No. 10, instead emphasizing Labour leadership at local and regional levels.
Despite these successes, Rotheram warns that Labour could still lose to Reform UK in the 2028 mayoral election if national political fortunes shift. He stresses the necessity for Labour to be the party of reform in both government and local authorities to maintain support.
