Liverpool Mayor attacks Starmer for ‘deeply insensitive' Sun appointment
Steve Rotheram, the Labour Mayor, called the appointment 'a deeply insensitive choice' given David Dinsmore's previous links to the newspaper.
The journalist is set to take up the new position of permanent secretary for communications, having been interviewed personally by the Prime Minister.
Many residents of Liverpool still boycott The Sun over its coverage of the Hillsborough stadium disaster in 1989.
In a statement on X, Mr Rotheram said: 'For many people in our city, particularly those who fought for justice for the Hillsborough families, this appointment will be seen as a deeply insensitive choice given the hurt caused to our communities unjustly targeted by that 'newspaper', Rupert Murdoch and his acolytes.
'The paper Dinsmore once led printed falsehoods that caused unimaginable pain. That shouldn't be brushed off as a footnote in his CV – it should be a red line.'
In the written statement, shared on social media, Mr Rotheram included in bold: 'Liverpool hasn't forgotten. We haven't forgiven. And we never will.'
The Mayor said he supported the Government's 'ambition to rebuild trust in politics', but added that 'appointments like this could risk undermining that effort'.
His statement raises further questions about how Labour might be received in Liverpool in the autumn, when it holds its annual party conference in the city.
Mr Dinsmore was editor of The Sun from 2013 to 2015. He started journalism as a reporter on The Scottish Sun aged 22 in 1990, one year after the Hillsborough disaster, and rose to become its editor in 2006.
He is still at News UK, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, where he has been chief operating officer for the past decade.
'Betrayal of Liverpool'
Kim Johnson, the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, described the appointment as 'an insult to Hillsborough families and campaigners' and 'a betrayal of Liverpool'.
Mr Dinsmore's appointment is the latest example of senior tabloid journalists entering government to help a prime minister with communications.
Andy Coulson, the former editor of the News of the World, helped Lord Cameron in opposition and then Downing Street before leaving amid the phone-hacking scandal.
Alastair Campbell was political editor of the Daily Mirror before he became Sir Tony Blair's most senior communications adviser.
Sir Keir was said to have been impressed by Mr Dinsmore's understanding of modern communication challenges.
He will be a Civil Service appointment, based in the Cabinet Office, rather than a political adviser, charged with overseeing the Government's significant communications operation.
Mr Rotheram has been the Mayor of Liverpool since 2017, after serving as the MP for Liverpool Walton. During his time in Westminster, he led campaigns seeking justice for Hillsborough families, also serving as a shadow minister for Jeremy Corbyn when he was Labour leader.
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