Heseltine highlights plight of suspects waiting in limbo

Comments follow Independent report that tens of thousands of people are waiting years to find out if they will be charged

- ANDY GREGORY

The extraordinary case of a former mayor left in limbo for more than three years to see if he will face criminal charges has been highlighted by Michael Heseltine after The Independent revealed that tens of thousands of people have been placed in similar circumstances.

The former deputy prime minister raised the plight of former Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson, who was arrested and released under investigation in December 2020 over bribery allegations. Three and a half years later, the inquiry is still ongoing – and he has no idea if he will ever face court to answer the claims.

Lord Heseltine’s intervention comes after The Independent reported that tens of thousands of other people had been left waiting more than a year to find out if they would face charges, with one woman forced to spend seven years in limbo before being able to clear her name.

Mr Anderson was suspended by the Labour Party – and later decided not to stand for re-election – after being arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation linked to building deals in Liverpool, meaning he lost his job and his income as a result of the arrest.

Asking a question in the Lords for the first time in more than a year, Lord Heseltine said: “The mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, was arrested on various charges, including fraud and bribery. That was three years and four months ago. He lost his job, his reputation and his income. No charge has been placed since then. I would just like to ask the minister: does he think that’s justice?”

Home office minister Andrew Sharpe said he could not comment on the specifics of the case, but that police were committed to concluding their investigation “as expeditiously as possible”.