Lucy Powell Elected Labour Deputy, Urges Party to Reconnect with Members Amidst Electoral Concerns
Labour’s new deputy leader, Lucy Powell, is calling for a fundamental shift in the party’s approach, emphasizing the need to listen to its membership base rather than relying on a “narrow group of voices” as it faces potential setbacks in next May’s local elections.
Powell’s victory over Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson in the deputy leadership contest, finalized on Saturday, signals a desire within the party for greater member involvement. Powell stated she received “a clear mandate that members want their voice to be heard at the top of the party.” The Manchester Central MP secured 54% of the vote, totaling 87,407 votes, while Phillipson garnered 73,536. However, a low turnout of just 16.6% has prompted some within Labour to suggest widespread disillusionment among party members.
The declaration of Powell’s win came on the heels of a disappointing byelection result in Caerphilly, where Labour finished third, trailing both Plaid Cymru and Reform UK. The party received a mere 11% of the vote in a traditionally safe seat held continuously by Labour sence the establishment of the Welsh Senedd in 1999. This outcome underscores the urgency of Powell’s call for change.
both powell and Phillipson had publicly supported the abolition of the two-child benefit cap, a policy reportedly unpopular with a segment of the Labour membership. Speaking with The guardian,Powell articulated her vision for a more inclusive party structure,stating,”in Wales,in Scotland,in London,and right around the country,” Powell stated.
She emphasized the need to reclaim the political agenda and avoid being overshadowed by the Reform party. “I’m going to get to work straight away on how we can mobilise for these elections and how we can rebuild our voter coalition and recognize there is a progressive alliance in this country. We need to be the leaders of it and not out-Reform Reform because that just doesn’t work. It’s not that long. I think we’ve got to seize back the agenda – we’ve ceded too much in recent months.” Powell highlighted a series of accomplishments under Labour’s leadership,including expanded worker’s rights,pay increases,increased hospital appointments,free school meals,and breakfast clubs. “I think we just need to bring them all together in a stronger way – our agenda on how we are working in the interests of the many and not the few.”
The severity of the recent electoral setbacks was underscored by health Secretary Wes Streeting, who drew parallels between the Caerphilly result and the 2021 Hartlepool byelection, a defeat that nearly prompted Keir starmer to resign. Streeting told The Sunday Times that Starmer “not only took that result on the chin, he took it to heart. And he used Hartlepool and the experience of Hartlepool to drive through the change in the Labour party necessary to make it electable and capable of winning a general election that no one thought we would win.” He expressed confidence in Starmer’s ability to navigate the current challenges.
An ally of Phillipson, who was widely seen as the preferred candidate of Downing Street, acknowledged the difficulty of addressing member dissatisfaction. “It was always going to be hard to assuage the anger of members, who have shown how unhappy they are through this result,” the source said. They added, “Bridget stood out of loyalty to Keir. She believed that standing was the right thing to do when it was clear no one else from cabinet was prepared to stand.”
Starmer congratulated Powell on her victory and framed the upcoming political battles as a defense against a concerning shift in the Conservative party’s ideology. He asserted that the Conservatives and Reform UK aim to lead Britain down a “dark place,” referencing comments made by Conservative MP Katie Lam, who suggested revoking the right to stay for legally residing individuals to foster a “culturally coherent group of people.” Starmer concluded, “Our job, whoever we are in this party, is to unite every single person in this country who is opposed to that politics, and to defeat it, once and for all.”
