MULTI-MILLIONAIRE businessman Peter Johnson will return to the helm as Tranmere Rovers club chairman this summer, the Daily Post can reveal.

The Birkenhead hamper entrepreneur takes over from Lorraine Rogers, who announced she was quitting the post in August last year.

Tranmere’s first ever paid chairman, Liverpool-born Ms Rogers relinquished some of her day-to-day responsibilities at Prenton Park in the summer of 2007 when she became non-executive chairman and took on a full-time post as chief executive of The Merseyside Partnership.

She is also a qualified solicitor, chair of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society and is a director of the EMAP subsidiary that owns Radio City. Ms Rogers, who succeeded Fred Williams as chairman in May 1999, last night insisted the handover would be “seamless”.

She said: “Last August, I said this would be my last season as chairman . . . so I will be handing over to a new chair in a few months.

“It is worth explaining that we have a full-time chief executive, Mick Horton, who was in charge of most of the day-to-day running of the club, along with finance director Richard Hughes.

“Also the club president Peter Johnson, the club’s major shareholder and creditor, has supported the club actively for more than 21 years.

“He has been involved in all important decisions made in recent years, and now attends regular board and management meetings. So the handover will be seamless.

“Peter is increasingly involved in club business again, so there won’t be significant change or upheaval for the club.”