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The mayor of Liverpool has announced that he will “walk away” after he was arrested on suspicion of intimidation and bribery of witnesses.
Joe Anderson said in a statement that he would “stay away from decision-making within the council through a period of leave without pay until police make their intentions clear with the investigation” later this month.
Anderson, 62, was arrested on December 4 along with four other men as part of an investigation into planning developments in the city.
All five have been released pending further investigations, and Anderson said he wants to “focus on cooperating with the police” as he believes “time will make it clear that I have no case to answer.”
His statement read: “I have always done what I believe is best for the city, and I am taking the following actions with those best intentions in mind.
Liverpool was the first part of the UK to enter Tier 3 but managed to reduce infection rates
“It is important for everyone in Liverpool to know that our leaders are focused on what is most important to the people: their livelihoods and, with a pandemic still going on, their lives.
“For this reason, I think it is important that the city and the government are confident that our city is operating in the right way.”
Deputy Mayor Wendy Simon will replace him, he added.
Mr. Anderson described his arrest as a “painful blow to me and my family, after a few difficult months.”
The directly elected mayor had already been temporarily suspended from the Labor Party.
He said he would make sure the city got closer to the coronavirus The pandemic is constant in his absence after he successfully transitioned from Level 3 to Level 2 last month.
It was the first part of England to be subjected to the harshest COVID-19 restrictions, but after reducing infection rates, it was used as a test site for mass testing.
Bill, Mr. Anderson’s brother died of the virus 70 years in October.
