Politics

Keir Starmer Slammed Over ‘Insulting’ Appointment That Has Liverpool Fuming

Published on July 30, 2025

Keir Starmer is facing a fierce backlash from within his own party after handing a top civil service communications role to a former editor of The Sun a decision that’s gone down like a lead balloon in Liverpool.

It’s emerged that David Dinsmore, who edited the controversial tabloid between 2013 and 2015, will now oversee all government messaging under the title of “permanent secretary for communications”. His job? To help polish up how the government communicates with the public. But that hasn’t gone down well at all with Labour figures connected to the city still scarred by the Hillsborough disaster and the paper’s infamous coverage of it.

Keir Starmer Sparks Fury After Hiring Ex Sun Editor for Key Government Role (Image: Getty)

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region and a former local MP, didn’t hold back when reacting to the news. He said he normally wouldn’t weigh in on staffing decisions, especially when civil servants are involved, but this time felt different, reported the Express.

“Given the context, I feel compelled to speak out about the appointment of David Dinsmore, a former editor of The Sun, to a senior communications role in the Civil Service,” Rotheram said, making it clear that for many in Liverpool, this choice was nothing short of offensive.

He pointed out the pain caused by the paper’s false reporting in the aftermath of the Hillsborough tragedy, where 97 football fans lost their lives. For Rotheram and many others, the role Dinsmore played in leading the paper — even years after the event — doesn’t wash away the damage done.

“Liverpool hasn’t forgotten. We haven’t forgiven. And we never will,” Rotheram said bluntly.

He also raised serious concerns about how the appointment came about, asking if the process was truly fair and whether the voices of those affected by that brand of journalism were ever taken into account. His fear is that the move may severely undermine any efforts to restore public trust, something Starmer has repeatedly said he’s determined to do.

By Monday afternoon, the anger had snowballed. Three Labour MPs from Liverpool — Ian Byrne, Kim Johnson and Paula Barker — fired off a joint letter to the Prime Minister, urging him to think again.

They didn’t mince their words either. In the letter, they said Starmer’s decision was “a gross betrayal of the people of Liverpool” and “an insult to every campaign group fighting for the Hillsborough Law”.

What’s added fuel to the fire is that this all comes at a time when there’s already growing frustration in Liverpool over delays to the so-called Hillsborough Law — a piece of legislation Starmer promised would be pushed through by April. That hasn’t happened.

Labour Leader Faces Backlash as David Dinsmore Lands Top Civil Service Job (Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)

The proposed law would create a legal obligation for public officials to tell the truth, especially in inquiries into public disasters, ensuring cover-ups like Hillsborough can’t be repeated. But Treasury concerns over a potential £1 billion annual cost have caused the plan to stall.

MP Ian Byrne warned that if the Government hasn’t introduced the law before the Labour conference in Liverpool this September, there will be serious political consequences.

With emotions still raw and trust already hanging by a thread, Starmer’s move to bring a former Sun boss into the heart of government communications might have just struck the wrong chord in exactly the wrong place.

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