Rothery became the first councillor of Liverpool to speak at the United Nations in Geneva on Religious, Linguistic and Cultural differences in 2012.

[2] She is the North West Ambassador for the British Institute for Human Rights, and is a member of various different groups, such as Merseyside Common Purpose and Operation Black Vote, a scheme which aims to get more Black, Asian and minority ethnic people into politics.

[1] In September 2019, Rothery became the first black Lord Mayor in the history of the city of Liverpool after her predecessor resigned.

[4][5] On 14 February 2021, Rothery announced via Twitter that, if elected, she would campaign to scrap the mayoral model in Liverpool.

On 17 February, Rothery, Simon and O'Byrne were told that they would be reinterviewed, sparking claims of a stitch-up by the Labour Party establishment.

[12] On 23 November 2021 she announced her resignation from the Labour Party due to the national leadership "failing in its duty to effectively oppose the government's attacks on our people" and being "more interested carrying out internal party vendettas than standing up for our people, our black community and our LGBTQIA community".