STEVE Rotheram has been elected as Liverpool City Region's metro mayor for a third time.

Following his first election in 2017, the former MP for Liverpool Walton has again been voted in as the City Region's top boss.

Counting for the mayoral election took place today (Saturday, May 4) following the local elections on Thursday.

With a turnout of 23.52% across the city region, Mr Rotheram got 68% of the vote, and was followed by Conservative Jade Marsden on 10.24%, Tom Crone (Green) 9.77%, Rob McAllister-Bell (Liberal Democrat) 7.90% and Independent Ian Smith 4.08%.

Following his election win, the city region mayor criticised the Government’s “regressive voter ID laws”.

Speaking after he was re-elected, Mr Rotheram said: “To those who were unable to have their voices heard because of the Government’s regressive ID laws, I understand your disappointment, I met many people on the doorstep who couldn’t vote and I think its wrong to deny a single person their democratic right to vote.

“But today the people in our area have not only spoken, they’ve hollered at the top of their voices, with two simple and clear messages: To the Government, enough is enough, and locally, Labour is delivering in power.”

Prior to Mr Rotheram's third election as metro mayor, he has been vocal about his ambitions to revolutionise the region’s local rail network with a London-style system that makes it faster, cheaper, cleaner and easier to travel around the region.

He made a policy pledge to bring new railway stations to Carr Mill in St Helens, Daresbury in Halton, and Woodchurch on the Wirral, with the aim to have work underway to build all three by the end of the decade.

His office also handed out £1m to each of the six local authorities across the city region last year, to support plans to revitalise town centres.

Other proposals before his re-election included plans to deliver a seven-day transport network with increased timetable provision at weekends and evenings, a new £100m Liverpool Baltic station, as well as regenerating Moorfields station and upgrading the entrances.