BBC News
By Judith Moritz
During the last six months, Joe Anderson has ridden the rollercoaster of public opinion.
In November, Liverpool s former mayor was celebrated for spearheading the city s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and piloting a system of mass testing. The number of cases in the city fell rapidly, and restrictions were relaxed as a result. Boris Johnson described it as a success story, which we want other parts of the country to replicate .
The episode raised Mr Anderson s national profile. There was personal resonance for him too. His brother Bill died as a result of Coronavirus.
But just one month later, he was in the headlines for a very different reason. He was one of five men arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation. They were held as part of an investigation into the awarding of building contracts in the city.