Anger as newspaper claims Liverpool has no culture

Liverpool's metro mayor has demanded an apology after an article claimed the city has no cultural facilities of "any great significance".

Steve Rotheram said the comments were "outrageous", adding: "We want a full retraction".

He asked the journalist to "set the record straight", while the city's Walker Art Gallery invited Mr Lawrence, for a "whistle-stop tour" of the region.

The piece said Liverpool "falls short, with no art galleries, dance companies or opera houses - at least not any that carry any great significance beyond the North West", when compared to its Scottish counterpart.

In the article, Mr Lawrence said most people would argue that Liverpool would come out on top if the awarding of Eurovision hosting duties was given to "the most culturally significant city".

He said: "No one can write a better melodic line than a scouser.

"Some of the world's great TV and stage dramatists have also come out of Liverpool".

However, the arts writer went on to say "if you are talking about Liverpool as a great city of culture (and it was awarded that title in 2008), a destination for patrons of the arts, the argument starts to fall apart."

Mr Rotheram said on Twitter: "Our MPs will be asking questions about this deliberate attempt at misinformation."

The Walker Art Gallery added: "There's boss art and culture in every corner of our city."