Never one to seek the limelight, Liam Robinson’s outspoken pushback against those spreading hate in the city he leads has pushed him firmly into view – and made him a target for those who disagree
17:17, 26 Mar 2026
Liverpool Council leader Liam Robinson has spoken out about far-right marches in Liverpool
Liam Robinson has a catchphrase that sums up his straight-forward approach to leadership. He is often heard to say he is more interested in “hard work” rather than “fireworks.”
The man who has led Liverpool City Council since May 2023 was seen by his Labour group as a sensible pair of hands, much needed to follow the chaos that came before him. Even his critics would struggle to argue that he has not put the council on a more stable footing since the days of corruption investigations and government commissioners.
Unlike some of his predecessors at the top of the Cunard administration, the Kensington councillor and former railway worker is not someone who generally seeks the limelight or tries to develop a political profile – in fact some may suggest he could do more to establish himself as a presence.
All this makes it more striking to see him putting his head above the parapet in recent weeks – swapping his typically measured tone for a more feisty and fiery one.
But that is all because of the subject at hand – the far right and its potential threat to the city he leads.
Cllr Robinson spoke strongly ahead of UKIP’s attempted march through the city this weekend. The far-right group had called on its supporters to “Stand for Christ in Liverpool during Lent” by taking part in a procession on Saturday.
In the end, the march amounted to very little, with the far-right crowd easily outnumbered by counter protestors. But Cllr Robinson – who joined that counter protest – had already made his position very clear.
Police in attendance at a UKIP march in Liverpool on Saturday(Image: Liverpool Echo)
In a cabinet meeting the week before the march, the leader told his colleagues: “Let me be very, very clear, that hate has no place in our city.
“While, unfortunately, we have no powers to ban this, we will ensure we’re working very, very closely with Merseyside Police to make sure all measures are being taken to ensure public safety. I know this city will stand together against racism because this is Liverpool, a city of hope, not hate.”
The city council also took the proactive step of launching a myth-busting section of its website and on social media, countering common misinformation about immigration, refugees and asylum seekers.
One of the local authority’s posts, which stated that there is no causal link between asylum seeker populations and violence against women and girls has prompted something of a backlash from the more right-leaning organs of the British press.
But speaking from his office in the Cunard Building today (Thursday), Cllr Robinson remains bullish about his and his council’s approach to combatting rising levels of hate and the misinformation that appears to be inspiring it.
“We have always been a diverse melting pot of a city. That’s one of the things that makes the city so strong and so special,” he states.
“So I always think it’s really important we stand up to hate wherever it comes forward because I know the vast majority of the people in this city don’t have any time for that hate. And if we don’t stand up to it, then frankly anyone that might be getting misdirected towards it, there’s a risk that they fall more into that trap.”
He adds: “So we should always prominently tell people what the reality and the facts are.
“Look at the fact that within the city, almost 20% of people are in some way or another non-white British. So a key component of our city is people that are definably diverse in the here and now.
“So we always should be kind of welcoming and unified with everyone. When we see this type of stuff, then we’ve got to stand up to it fundamentally because it’s not welcome here.”
Like many leaders operating today, Cllr Robinson says the misinformation being pedelled on and off social media is a major concern of his. He adds: “Some of it is on social media, some of it comes from people in positions of responsibility who frankly should know better, including nationally prominent politicians.”
He says the levels of hate appearing around the country are “probably the worst” he has ever seen, adding: “So it is incumbent on us to stand up to that.”
Cllr Liam Robinson in his office at the Cunard Building. (Image: Liverpool Echo)
Explaining the council’s front-footed approach on this, Cllr Robinson states: “When people are perpetuating myths about asylum seekers living in luxury hotels and being given lots of free items that fundamentally aren’t true, it’s down to us to point that out at the end of the day.
“I think one of the bits we had to do particularly last year, but we’ll keep on doing this, is where we find hate that’s specifically being perpetuated in a community on a specific issue that we can bust that myth, we’ll try to do that.
“For example we have seen posts targeting individual properties, saying they will be used to house asylum seekers, we will set the record straight that it isn’t, hopefully people will see that what is being perpetuated is just utterly wrong.”
Like most politicians who take a stance on these issues, Cllr Robinson admits he has had plenty of “abuse,” but is keen to say it is nothing compared to the direct and credible threats experienced by others.
He adds: “Yes you do get a lot of abuse for it, but frankly I believe very strongly in the role that I’m very privileged to do. It’s my obligation to stand up for that because that’s what the vast majority of people in this city would expect me to do, would want me to do, and would agree with me in doing that.”