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SO the gloves are off. In the Red corner stands Luciana Berger, backed by the Labour Party. In the other Red corner stands new kid on the political block, Jake Morrison, backed by scouse determination.
The Wavertree councillor, suspended from the Labour Group at the request of Mayor Joe Anderson, has answered the question: How do you solve a problem like Jake Morrison?
And the answer was not remotely in the constituency “script”.
He’s not only resigned from the Labour Party, he’s announced he will be standing as an independent against MP Berger in the 2015 general election.
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And, in an intriguing twist, his beaten opponent was one of the first to give Team Jake his blessing.
Today on twitter, former Lib Dem city council leader Mike Storey tweeted: “The @LibDems stand aside for a principled person and give @EiJake an uncluttered run in 2015.”
He later told Liverpool Confidential the suggestion was made in a personal capacity but: "There are times in politics when a principled stand ought to be taken and supported and this is one of those occasions."
On the political scale, Jake’s decision is seismic. He has generated a lot of support following his public fall-out with Ms Berger, which led to him writing a lengthy letter of complaint, alleging bullying, to Labour leader Ed Miliband.
The Labour Party has released a loose cannon by failing to resolve differences between Jake M, Luciana B and the Wavertree Labour Party officials. And that cannon has now been turned on the Labour Party itself.
Luciana Berger (Pic Copyright Stephanie De Leng)
Some will say, it serves yourselves right. Liverpool loves a maverick and Jake will hope to win support from his many followers as well as disillusioned Labour supporters who could easily turn away.
Jake M plans to stay in the council chamber as an independent councillor until his term of office finishes in May 2015.
The fall-out is in sharp contrast to the way working class teenage hero, chosen as a candidate when he was just aged 17, dispatched that Goliath of a Lib Dem, Lord Mike Storey within his sling-shot.
Lord Storey was beaten by a rookie. The win was such a media gift that Ed Miliband telephoned Cllr Morrison to congratulate him.
Back in the council chamber, Mayor Joe made the newcomer his lead on youth matters, giving him £6,000 on top of his basic allowance of just over £10,000. Jake keeps the basic allowance, but the plug has been pulled on the extra pay.
Too many people within and without the Labour Party put Jake Morrison’s war of words down to immaturity, silliness or his inexperience. But seemingly more cheerleaders rallied to his cause.
On the other hand, the Labour Party machine will be a much bigger “Goliath’”than Lord Storey. Luciana Berger is already a rising star on the Labour benches and is destined for Cabinet office should Miliband or whoever grab the keys to Number 10.
She won the seat in 2010 amid criticisms that she was parachuted in from London, by Millbank, in preference to a local candidate.
Followers of Jake Morrison have already experienced his canny grasp of social media as a communication tool. It seems the boxing ring is ready, and all it takes now is to see who else will join the battle for Wavertree.
It would be foolish of the Labour party, not exactly riding high in the popularity stakes, to take an automatic win as a foregone conclusion.
Read Jake Morrison's resignation letter in full here.
Read all the background here
“The suggestion we (the Lib Dems) should stand aside to give Jake a clearer run in the general election is my own opinion," Lord Storey told Liverpool Confidential,
"There are times in politics when a principled stand ought to be taken and supported and this is one of those occasions.
Mike Storey "I think what has happened to Jake Morrison is really sad. Here we have a young man, very conscientious and hardworking and he is treated so badly by the Labour Party.
"He wrote a long, heartfelt letter to his leader (Ed Miliband) and ends up being suspended.
"His task will be hard and he must face his former ward colleagues in the council chamber, and that is not an enviable thing for anybody to have to do. In the election he will also come up against the party machine.
"But who can predict the response from the people of Liverpool who may well prefer to support Jake than a London-based campaign operation. What he has done takes a lot of guts and courage.”
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You've almost got the facts right Harry, but here's the full story. profchucklebuttychronic.blogspot.co.uk/…/liverpool-political-crisis-mayor-to.html…
I'll be voting for Jake. I emailed Luciana Berger and she couldn't be bothered to reply. That's what she really thinks of us now she has her safe seat
Her office staff don't seem to be particularly bothered to me either.
Lord Storey (Lord? Gawd help us) is raving.
deffo support Jake, he joined us to protest at Wavertree Cricket Club when the BNP were meeting there and he was very helpful,and well informed, he has my vote
Mine to. I think I might volunteer to help.
I will certainly be offering Cllr Morrison my support.
Lucrezia Borgia couldn't find her way round Liverpool without a map, should never have been allowed to stand, a tory in disguise.
It's not that generous of 'Lord' Storey to offer a clear run for Jake Morrison in the election; no-one will vote for the Lib-Dems again for a generation after the Great Betrayal and their shameful union with the Tories. The Lib-Dems will on the other hand be able to save themselves the cost and trouble of putting up a candidate in Wavertree who will only lose his or her deposit.
I don't live in Wavertree but if I did I'd vote for Councillor Morrison if only to give the light-headed, preening and complacent Labour leadership something to think about. Their official title is Her Majesty's Opposition but I'm sure they'd lose this if it came to court under the Trades Descriptions Act. If the electorate consign Berger to the dustbin it might make the Labour "leadership" pull their heads out of their own arses and look around at what is happening in the real world to normal people.