He earned a Master's degree in Contemporary Urban Renaissance from Liverpool Hope University and worked as a business manager for the Learning and Skills Council.

After serving as an MP and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition, Rotheram won a majority vote at the 2017 Liverpool City Region mayoral election and re-election in 2021.

[6] In a 2009 speech on the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, he said, "I'm one of the fortunate ones, as I swapped my Leppings Lane ticket for a stand seat 15 minutes before kick-off... if I can go from being a brickie in Kirkby to the Lord Mayor, who knows what these 96 people may have achieved in their lives?

In October 2011, Rotheram joined the Culture, Media and Sport Committee where he asked James Murdoch if he would close The Sun newspaper following the News International phone hacking scandal in 2011.

After the papers were released in September 2012, showing widespread corruption from South Yorkshire Police, Rotheram called upon Prime Minister David Cameron to issue an apology on behalf of the government, which he later did.

[13] The cover included contributions from artists such as Paul McCartney, Robbie Williams, Holly Johnson and Melanie C, as well as featuring Rotheram himself[citation needed].

[14] Rotheram was one of 16 signatories of an open letter to Ed Miliband in January 2015 calling on the party to commit to oppose further austerity, take rail franchises back into public ownership and strengthen collective bargaining arrangements.

[26] Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Rotheram accepted a deal with the British government in October 2020 to place the Liverpool City Region under Tier 3 restrictions, following a sharp rise in cases across northern England.

[32] In January 2022, Rotheram, alongside Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, renewed calls for a Hillsborough Law to ensure fair treatment for people bereaved in public tragedies.

[33] The campaign was later supported by Keir Starmer who stated at Labour party conference in 2023 that "one of my first acts as Prime Minister will be to put the Hillsborough Law on the statute book".

[40] Rotheram was joined by Baroness Judith Blake and Sir Howard Bernstein and set out three keys priorities for the city rebooting Liverpool’s regeneration, 21st century public service reform, and turbocharging the innovation economy.

[45] His campaign included a pledge to drive up foreign direct investment into the Liverpool City Region by 25% by the end of the decade and a commitment to build 3 new stations on the Merseyrail network at Carr Mill in St Helens, Woodchurch in Wirral, and Daresbury in Halton.

[46][47] A further pre-election announcement was made regarding plans to improve connectivity to Liverpool John Lennon Airport and the city’s football stadia by introducing bus rapid transit, similar to that which operates in Belfast.

The announcement was met with mixed reception with some welcoming plans to address a strategic transport priority, whilst others accused the pledge of lacking ambition.