Labour Government turns its back on Liverpool again with North New Town snub

The Labour Government has once again abandoned Liverpool, rejecting the ambitious Liverpool North New Town plans that would have transformed communities from Everton to Bootle. 

Liverpool Lib Dems have called this “not just a setback - it is a slap in the face for Liverpool.”

Despite repeated announcements from the Labour Council Leader that only with a Labour Government, a Labour Mayor, and a Labour Council working hand-in-hand could Liverpool secure its best deal, today’s decision proves the opposite: under Labour, Liverpool is still being left behind.

The New Town programme was supposed to unlock thousands of homes, new infrastructure, and real opportunities for people across North Liverpool. Instead, the Government has cast the city aside, leaving behind empty land and broken promises.

This betrayal follows a familiar pattern. Since July 2024, Liverpool has seen repeated cancellations and withdrawals of support: government backing pulled away from the Council, regeneration schemes binned, and levelling-up funds directed elsewhere.

This includes Keir Starmer cancelling the new Liverpool-Manchester leg of Northern Powerhouse Rail and the £450M AstraZeneca investment deal falling through.

Far from “levelling up”, Labour has delivered only levelling down for Liverpool.

Cllr Carl Cashman, Leader of the Liverpool Liberal Democrats, said:

“This is a disgrace. Labour leaders told us that Liverpool’s best chance was having Labour in power from the Town Hall to Westminster. Well, we’ve got that now - and still Liverpool is snubbed.

“The North New Town project was a once-in-a-generation chance to regenerate huge swathes of our city. Instead, Labour’s Government has turned its back, proving once and for all that their promises to Liverpool are hollow.

“The gall of Labour to try and wrap itself in glory at their conference in Liverpool off the back of two major snubs to the city defies expectations. Either they don’t understand the optics, or they just don’t care.

“Liverpool deserves better than broken promises and backroom excuses. The Liberal Democrats will fight to put this city back on the national agenda, because we will never accept Liverpool being treated as second-class.”

The Liverpool Liberal Democrats demand that the Government immediately reverses this reckless decision and commits to funding the Liverpool North New Town in full. Anything less is yet another betrayal of a city that has been failed for far too long.