Liam Thorp

It was a scoop and a scandal that sent shockwaves around a city. After 16 months of tireless investigations Liverpool Echo Political Editor Liam Thorp was able to finally reveal that a number of Labour councillors in Liverpool had been involved in a back door scheme to have parking fines written off by senior council officers without going through the official channels that anyone else in the city would have to.

Having originally been made aware of the scheme through his sources back in October 2021, Liam put all his efforts and journalistic skills into exposing those who had abused their positions. After 16 long months of Freedom of Information battles, constant digging and a healthy dose of belligerence, he was able to produce a stunning scoop that named 14 current and former city councillors as having been involved in the scandal. As a direct result of the investigation two senior Labour councillors left the council, while two other councillors left their political group and did not stand for election again. Liam's investigation was recognised at a national level, with a nomination for the prestigious Private Eye Paul Foot Awards and an editorial in The Times (https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-long-and-winding-road-to-my-liverpool-parking-fine-scoop-nj9vq8hnp). As a Political Editor Liam also has a keen interest in exposing the crises within our nation's public services. The winter of 2022/23 was one of the worst on record for the NHS and through a searing series of exclusive and extensive stories, Liam was able to fully reveal the horrific impacts of that crisis on patients and staff. It took time to gain the trust of NHS staff and patients and their families and to convince them that a light must be shone on the chaotic conditions of our hospitals. Liam's work was shared in huge numbers and resulted in national coverage. His reporting went viral on social media, being viewed millions of times (https://twitter.com/LiamThorpECHO/status/1610540582421630976?s=20). It is crucial that political journalism gives a voice to the most vulnerable in our society in order to expose the problems we have. As temperatures plummeted in the winter of 2022 and conditions became dangerous for those sleeping rough in Liverpool, Liam spent time meeting, talking to and gaining the trust of those sleeping rough in Liverpool through the bitterly cold weather. His work resulted in a powerful front page feature that brought home the brutal reality of the life and death battles faced by those living on the streets and was shared and read widely around Merseyside and beyond.