Once again Liverpool stands alone on a dark night for the country – Liverpool Echo

On a night of unmitigated disaster for the Labour Party there remains a small pocket of hope by the River Mersey.

This city and this region have always done their own thing - and as Labour heartlands tumbled like dominoes across the country this morning, it was never in doubt that Liverpool would return five red rose MPs.

Across the water and Wirral followed suit - former swing seats of South and West were retained comfortably, while veteran Birkenhead MP Frank Field lost his position via a landslide for Labour's new man Mick Whitely.

As expected, Southport stayed blue - but the seaside town aside, Merseyside remains a deep shade of red this morning.

You may say it is little surprise that most of Merseyside stayed loyal to Labour - but on a night when Wrexham, Blythe Valley, Darlington and North West Durham fell to the Tories, we stood out.

So why has our region bucked the national trend again and kept faith with Labour?

Liverpool is a city that knows only too well what damage a hard-right Tory government can do to a place.

It has taken decades to recover from the managed decline of Thatcher in the 80s.

And crucially, this city is very aware of the role the European Union played in helping it to rebuild and start again.

Where communities across the country have rejected Labour's nuanced position on Brexit today - Merseyside has voted for another chance to retain our relationship with our nearest partners in Europe and not cut ourselves off from those who have lent us a helping hand before.

Of course it isn't enough - Labour has had an appalling election and has allowed Boris Johnson to sweep to power with a mandate that will now allow him to do whatever it is that he wants - and to pursue a hardline withdrawal from the European Union that many fear could take this city back to those dark 1980s days.

But if Labour is to rebuild - and it must do because people depend on it - then once again Liverpool and Merseyside will have to provide the base for that recovery.

A new leader will need to start from here and build outwards.

And while Liverpool is fiercely loyal to Labour, it is important to resist the understandable calls to shut ourselves off and form a Scouse utopia.

This is an outward-looking, forward-thinking part of the country that can help put the Labour Party back on the long-road to recovery.

It is a mammoth task but it will be Scousers that can lead the charge.

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Once again Liverpool stands alone on a dark night for the country - Liverpool Echo