Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has taken aim at Liverpool's ruling Labour group, saying the party's councillors "haven't got a very good reputation".
The MPs' comments came as he told the ECHO how he believed the Lib Dems were on their way to once again becoming a "major force" in Liverpool.
The party ran city hall between 1998 and 2010, but saw a significant drop in support during the coalition years.
Read more: Liberal Democrats buoyed by performance in Liverpool by-election
In recent years, under local leader Richard Kemp, the Lib Dems have slowly been accumulating seats and are currently the main opposition group with 12 councillors.
Last month the group were buoyed by the turnout in the Warbreck by-election.
Cllr Kemp said the swing to his party - who were beaten by just 2% of the vote - put “dozens of new wards in play” when the city votes in next year’s all-out elections.
Asked how far off the party was from challenging Labour in the city, Sir Ed said: "I'm determined that we become a major force again.
"There's a lot of Labour councillors, but they haven't got a very good reputation.
"When I talk to Richard Kemp, he gives me some of the most hair raising stories about what they're up to.
"So I think whether it's Manchester, Hull, Sunderland, Sheffield, Liverpool or Newcastle, we feel we're beginning to make gains again and that's often at Labour's expense."
Sir Ed also dismissed rumours of a national election pact with Sir Keir Starmer's party.
Tory chairman Oliver Dowden claimed over the weekend that the Lib Dems had stood down scores of candidates across the North of England to clear the way for Labour.
In return, Mr Dowden claimed, Labour would give Sir Ed's party a free run in the South.
Sir Ed said: "There's zero truth in that, I mean how desperate can you get? There is no pact, there's not going to be a pact. It's is nonsense."
A Labour Party Spokesperson said: "The Conservatives have cut Liverpool Council’s budget by an unprecedented £465million. An eye watering £330million of these cuts happened when the Government was in coalition with the Liberal Democrats, who supported these measure that hit the most vulnerable the hardest.
"The Labour Party are continuing to deliver for the city of Liverpool to ensure that the most vulnerable are protected from the worst excesses of Conservative Party cuts.
"The Labour Party is under new management. Liverpool’s new Mayor Joanne Anderson is changing the way politics is done in Liverpool."
