Liverpool MPs have accused Sir Keir Starmer of ‘betrayal’ after he wrote a column in The Sun newspaper.
The Labour chief pledged during a speech as part of his leadership bid last yera that he would not speak to the publication that had ‘wounded’ the city.
But Starmer reneged on those words with an editorial on Sunday that outraged understandable outrage across the party’s traditonal stronghold.
Wavetree MP Paula Barker said on Twitter: “I do not subscribe to the view that we need to have a relationship with the rag in order to win an election.
“This is 2021 not 1997.
“He does not do this in my name. Nevertheless, I apologise to everyone in my city, especially Hillsborough families and survivors.”
Riverside’s Kim Johnson challenged Starmer to meet the families of the 97 victims of the Hillsborough disaster that were smeared by The Sun in 1989.
Liverpool supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly described his column as ‘a kick in the teeth for the collective struggles’ against the reviled publication locally.
Mayor of Liverpool Joanne Anderson admitted that Starmer had left her feeling ‘deeply offended’ by agreeing to pen a guest article for the newspaper.
She tweeted: “In Liverpool we strive for social justice and equality.
“These values are the product of our experiences and are deeply in contrast to the right wing lies of the S*n.
“@UKLabour should never work with this paper.”
Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, also added his disapproval
“My position on that (supposed) newspaper and Labour politicians engaging with it has never changed,” he said in a statement.
“The piece published today has unsurprisingly upset a lot of people across my region. The S*n is not and never will be welcome here.
“I have been in touch with Keir to reiterate my position and express the disappointment that I and many others feel.”