'Austerity is violence' - people appalled at what 14 years of Tory rule has done to Liverpool

'Austerity is violence.'

This was one response to the Liverpool ECHO's special data-visual investigation into the impact of 14 years of Conservative rule on Liverpool, which we published yesterday.

Liverpool: Austerity City is a project that took months to put together and one we are proud of. We are equally proud of the enormous reaction it has received across the country.

The investigation has been shared thousands of times, including by big names like James O'Brien, Alistair Campbell and actor Stephen McGann as well as Members of Parliament and regional mayors.

You can read the visual investigation in full by clicking the image below:

If the image link isn't working, please click here

The results of our analysis are stark and terrifying. They show a city that has had its public services torn apart, that has seen life expectancy go into retreat and where a growing number of children are growing up in poverty.

We have carried out extensive data analysis and research to see exactly how the decisions made in government have affected people’s lives in this city over the past 14 years of Conservative-led government.

It is safe to say people have been horrified by the results of this investigation.

Commenting on X, Liverpool-born actor Stephen McGann said: "This is a brilliant, brutal and very thorough local news investigation into the precarious social & economic condition of the city that raised me - a tribute to the power of local journalism, and the need to retain it. We're only as good as the bad things we refuse to tolerate."

LBC host James O'Brien praised the ECHO's "outstanding journalism," describing what we uncovered as "chilling stuff."

Many people found themselves enraged by the data we compiled showing how people's lives, families, health and communities have been decimated by 14 years of cuts.

Duncan Hothersall said: "This makes me very angry. These were choices, not inevitabilities. This should be required reading for every voter across the UK."

Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson said: "A heart-breaking read, showing the devastation 14 years of Tory Government failure has had on Liverpool.

"1 in 3 children living in poverty, life expectancy falling, homelessness rising and foodbanks unable to meet the explosion in demand. This is the human cost of austerity."

Alice Crossley said our piece was "incredibly powerful," but added: "If you can read it without anger, I would be amazed."

Daryl King said: "This is the effect of 14 years of Tory policies on a city. The facts and data speak for themselves. A real masterclass in storytelling."

Bernadette Meaden simply added: "Please look at this and vote accordingly. Austerity is violence."

To read the full visual investigation, please click here.