As usual Merseyside was ahead of the game

It was around 5am on Thursday, December 12, 2019. This bleary-eyed correspondent was sat with colleagues in the Liverpool Echo offices after a dramatic and exhausting night. We had watched as Labour's heartlands around the nation had tumbled like dominoes in what could only be described as an unmitigated disaster for the party.

Boris Johnson, a man largely reviled in this part of the world, had gleefully swept up seats in the North East, in Lancashire and around the country as he marched on towards an 80-seat majority. But despite the Conservatives' devastating pummelling of Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party, there was one corner of the country that failed to be convinced - anything but.

MORE: Live General Election results for Liverpool and Merseyside as Labour storm to landslide victory

MORE: The red map of Merseyside as the Tories are banished once and for all

As is so often the case, Merseyside refused to follow the national trends, in fact it largely rejected them outright. In Liverpool, the red rose party increased its vote share - comfortably returning five MPs in the city. In Wirral former swing seats were easily won by Labour as heartlands in Knowsley and Bootle remained strong. The only flash of blue on the Merseyside map was in Southport.

Liverpool and Merseyside are used to thinking differently, of doing things differently when it comes to the mood of the nation. This time around, things are a little different. This time, that sea of red is blemish-free. With the Southport seat going to Labour for the first time in its history, the Tories have been banished from Merseyside completely and it can be fairly stated Labour's surge to power has been built on the seeds of hope that remained in this region when so many other strongholds had fallen.

Now, that's not to say Merseyside's support for Labour is now unconditional. There are many people here who feel disappointed in Keir Starmer and his party. They feel he should be going further and faster in terms of addressing the painful cornucopia of problems served upon our region by a pernicious and uncaring Conservative administration. And of course, in Liverpool, there is very understandable anger at the new Prime Minister's decision to write for The S*n newspaper.

People here want to see more done to tackle the acute crises in local government, the shameful proliferation of foodbanks, the huge numbers of kids that are going hungry and the stark images of more and more people ending up on the streets. There is so much this Labour government needs to deliver in order to start to unravel the social problems that have piled up over 14 long years of austerity. The people of Merseyside will be the first to call the new government out if they fail to address these problems.

But while the approach towards Starmer in power may be cautious here, the passion to remove a party from government that has done so much damage will be all encompassing. There will be people right across this region feeling relieved and rejuvenated at the prospect of no longer living under the rule of a government that treats them with disdain.

There will be new battles ahead as Merseyside correctly fights for its seat at the top table and demands this new government provides the resources and support that it needs. But those are battles for another day.

Right now, this region will be breathing a sigh of relief as it starts to put the painful memories of the past 14 years behind it.

The Liverpool Daily Post newsletter delves into the biggest stories on Merseyside