TRIBUTES were paid last night to veteran Liverpool politician Sir Trevor Jones, who is to stand down from the city council after more than 40 years in frontline politics.

Sir Trevor, 82, was first elected to the council in 1968 and was leader of the council between 1979 and 1983.

He earned the nickname “Jones the Vote” for the way he master-minded electoral campaigns, especially by-elections.

Last night Liverpool Council leader and fellow Liberal Democrat Warren Bradley thanked “a true statesman for devoting so much of his life to a city he loved”.

Lord Mayor Cllr Mike Storey said he was a towering figure of Liverpool politics, who was the forefather of modern political campaigning.

Sir Trevor has also been a prominent businessman in the city, having owned ships’ chandlers Joseph Lamb and Sons, which was based on The Strand.

He first joined the council in 1968 and went on to become the leader of the Liberals prior to its 1988 merger with the SDP when the Liberal Democrats were formed.

He rose to national prominence with his knack of winning huge numbers of votes by spearheading community politics.

He served on the council between 1968 and 1991, and in 2002 was persuaded to become a councillor again by Cllr Storey.

When he stands down next May, for what must finally be the last time, it will bring down the curtain on one of Liverpool’s most influential political careers.

Last night, Cllr Bradley said:“Sir Trevor Jones, along with the late Cyril Carr [leader prior to Sir Trevor] was the driving force for liberalism in Liverpool, and was responsible for my family becoming involved in politics in Liverpool.

“Trevor was elected as, what he said himself “the cinder under the door” when the city was governed by the Labour and Tory party.