Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram and Liverpool City Council leader Liam Robinson have called on Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey to suspend the party whip from two Liverpool councillors after both were reported to have made comparisons between proposed football fan management arrangements and the Holocaust.
In a joint letter to Davey, Rotheram and Robinson said they were “shocked” to learn that a second Liberal Democrat councillor had reportedly made an Auschwitz comparison during the same Liverpool City Council planning committee discussion.
The row relates to proposals to extend an area of hard standing next to Sandhills station to improve the safe management of large numbers of supporters travelling to and from Everton Football Club’s new stadium.
Rotheram and Robinson said the intention of the plans was to take supporters away from the public highway and provide a safe, orderly and controlled queuing environment before passengers board trains. The proposals also include improved amenities such as toilets, food and drink stands and better lighting.
Their latest letter follows earlier concerns over remarks reportedly made by Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Moloney, who is said to have described the proposals as being “like something out of a horrific death camp in Nazi Germany”.
Rotheram and Robinson said they had since become aware that former Lord Mayor and Liberal Democrat councillor Richard Kemp was also reported to have said the proposed queuing area was “like the greeting area for Auschwitz”.
Writing on X, Rotheram said:
“Following our initial letter to Sir Ed Davey, it has come to our attention that a second Lib Dem councillor has described the proposed queuing area as ‘like the greeting area for Auschwitz.’”
“We have now asked for the Liberal Democrat whip to be suspended from both councillors.”
The joint letter asks Davey directly: “What is going on here?”
Rotheram and Robinson said the comparisons were offensive and inappropriate, particularly given the scale and horror of the Holocaust.
They wrote:
“The men, women and children who perished at Auschwitz were victims of one of the worst crimes in human history. There is no meaningful comparison between their suffering and football supporters travelling home from a match.”
They also said members of Liverpool’s Jewish community had contacted them to express “deep upset” at the language reportedly used.
The pair warned that two members of the same planning committee making similar remarks during the same discussion raised concerns beyond what could be dismissed as an isolated lapse of judgement.
They have now called on the Liberal Democrats to launch a formal investigation into both councillors.
Pending the outcome, Rotheram and Robinson said neither councillor should continue to sit as a Liberal Democrat member of Liverpool City Council’s Planning Committee.
Their letter concludes:
“We therefore ask that the Liberal Democrat whip be suspended from both councillors whilst any investigation is undertaken.”
The intervention increases pressure on the Liberal Democrat leadership to respond formally to the controversy and to clarify what disciplinary action, if any, will now be taken.
