Joseph Anderson, OBE (born 24 January 1958) is a British politician who served as the first directly elected Mayor of Liverpool from 2012 to 2021.

In December 2020, Anderson temporarily stood down as Liverpool mayor after being arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation.

However, he resigned this position in 2007 after stating his concern at the lack of community involvement in planned events, alleging that an elitist attitude was developing among the board.

[9] Anderson was, along with Liverpool Riverside MP Louise Ellman, involved with the campaign to free Michael Shields after his arrest and subsequent imprisonment in Bulgaria in 2005.

In May 2016, he announced his intention to run for the Labour Party nomination for the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region position.

In May 2017, Anderson sought selection as a Labour candidate to be the MP for the Liverpool Walton constituency, but lost to then-Unite the Union official Dan Carden.

Anderson issued a statement claiming: "Today we were reminded that the Labour Party is not always a meritocracy... after [the General Election] there will be more to say".

[13] In opposition, Anderson had been critical of the joint venture between Liverpool City Council and British Telecom (BT), called LDL.

[15][16][17][18] In April 2015, Anderson brought legal proceedings against Chesterfield High School, claiming he had been unfairly dismissed from his role as a 'social inclusion mentor', despite having been on paid leave at £4,500 per annum for two years.

Retrieved 3 November 2024. In December 2020, Anderson was one of five men arrested as part of an investigation (Operation Aloft) into building and development contracts in Liverpool.

[30] Anderson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2012 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to local government and the community.