TORIES COULD BE running Liverpool for the first time since the 1960s next week with reports the Conservative government is likely to send in commissioners to take over the city council following corruption allegations.

An investigation by Max Caller, a local government inspector, is expected to be made public next week.

Inspectors were sent in by Robert Jenrick, the Local Government Secretary, in December following the arrest of five men including the city’s elected mayor, Labour’s Joe Anderson, who was held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation.

None of those arrested have been charged, with a Merseyside Police investigation into building and development contracts in the city, ongoing.

Mr Anderson, 63, denies any wrongdoing.

It is only the fourth time commissioners have been sent in to run a local authority and never before on the scale of taking over a city the size of Liverpool.

But Whitehall commissioners could now be set to run the city’s day-to-day operations, according to The Sunday Telegraph.

Liverpool has become a by­word for anti­-Tory sentiment, the city’s last Conservative MP was 38 years ago and the last Conservative councillor lost his seat 23 years ago.

Councillor Richard Kemp, leader of the Liberal Democrats on the council, said: “It’s ironic that the Tories may end up remotely running Liverpool 25 years after the last Tory left the Council.”

Writing on Twitter he added: “The end of a decade of an uncontrolled and dogmatic left wing council will certainly be greater control over our affairs by a Tory Government.”