4 hours ago
7
Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell fired the starting pistol in Labour’s deputy leadership race on Sunday, with the education secretary saying now was not the time to “look backward” on mistakes made by the party in its first year of government.
The pair set out strikingly different approaches to the role of deputy leader, with Powell saying she would be an independent voice who would speak truth to senior leadership including Keir Starmer.
Phillipson is widely seen as No 10’s choice for the role, with Powell recently ousted from the cabinet as leader of the House of Commons.
Powell, in her first message to members, promised to be a “full-time deputy leader” and an “independent voice” as opposed to Phillipson’s potential dual role as education secretary.
“I really want this Labour government to succeed, and sometimes that means having the difficult conversations,” she said in her email to constituency Labour parties. “I won’t snipe from the sidelines. But when we get things wrong, I have the guts to say we need to change course.
“We need to listen to the country, and our movement. When we don’t, we make mistakes that overshadow our achievements. That’s how we succeed and that’s where our strength lies.”
Phillipson launched her campaign with supporters in Sunderland on Sunday, promising to take on Reform UK with her experience fighting a “red wall” seat for Labour.
“You can use this contest to look backward, to pass judgment on what has happened in the last year or you can use it to shape positively what happens in the run-up to the next election,” she said in an address to party members, who will vote next month.
Phillipson said she would run a campaign of “hope, not grievance” and warned the party against descending into division. She said that having an experienced campaigner in the role was vital.
after newsletter promotion
“Today, I pledge to continue Angela Rayner’s campaigning role as deputy leader,” she said. “Continuing her mission to give members a strong voice at the cabinet table.
“Her ruthless focus on getting our candidates elected and re-elected, alongside her total determination to drive change from government. Because what mattered was not just what she believed, but that she could act on it.”
Powell said she also had a strong record as a campaigner, describing her safe Manchester Central seat as “half red-wall, half urban” – suggesting she could take on the threat of Reform and the Greens.
“All over the country, we’re at risk of losing votes to both sides. We must tell a better story and offer a bold vision: to unite our broad coalition, and unite our country,” she said.
“The fracturing and division taking over our democracy worries us all. We have a huge responsibility to get this right. We need to show whose side we are on. That’s how we’ll get back on course. That’s how we’ll unite the country and deliver the change that we promised.”
The candidates must also gain nominations from constituency parties and affiliates before ballots are issued to members. A hustings will take place at the Labour party conference, with ballots opening on Wednesday 8 October and closing on Thursday 23 October. The result will be declared on 25 October.
