Labour Council Leader Richard Leese claims "everything is Liberal Democrats' fault" in city dominated by Labour
The Leader of Manchester City Council, Richard Leese, has become an internet meme after he claimed, "Everything is the Liberal Democrats' fault".
In an otherwise explosive meeting yesterday (17/10/18) in which Manchester Council's involvement in a multi-million-pound coverup was exposed, leader Richard Leese claimed that "everything is the Liberal Democrats' fault".
He has since been mocked by Lib Dems and Labour members alike after it was pointed out that Labour hold 94 out of 96 councillors in Manchester, along with 5 out of 5 MPs, 3 MEPs and the region's Mayor.
Richard Leese, who has led Manchester Council since 1996, told the chamber:
"Why do we say everything is the Liberal Democrats' fault? It's because everything is the Liberal Democrats' fault."
The meeting became heated after more than 50 minutes of questioning from Manchester opposition leader John Leech uncovered that incompetence in the town hall resulted in more than £19m being wiped from the roads budget.
Labour has run Manchester Council since 1973 and in 2014 took complete control, holding 96 out of 96 seats.
Former Manchester MP John Leech led the way back for the Liberal Democrats gaining the first non-Labour seat in 2016.
The Lib Dems now hold two seats after gaining a second and narrowly missing a further five across the city in the last local elections held in May 2018.
