Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and former Commons Leader Lucy Powell have formally launched their campaigns for the Labour deputy leadership, setting out starkly different visions for the role. Phillipson, widely seen as the preferred candidate of Number 10, urged the party not to 'look backward' at mistakes made during Labour's first year in government, while Powell vowed to be an 'independent voice' willing to speak truth to senior leadership.
Phillipson launched her campaign in Sunderland on Sunday, promising to take on Reform UK and continue Angela Rayner's work as a campaigning deputy leader. '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 told party members. She pledged a campaign of 'hope, not grievance' and warned against internal division.
Powell, who was recently removed from the cabinet, sent an email to constituency Labour parties pledging to be a 'full-time deputy leader' and an 'independent voice'. 'I really want this Labour government to succeed, and sometimes that means having the difficult conversations,' she wrote. 'I won't snipe from the sidelines. But when we get things wrong, I have the guts to say we need to change course.'
Both candidates stressed their campaigning credentials. Phillipson highlighted her experience fighting a 'red wall' seat, while Powell described her Manchester Central constituency as 'half red-wall, half urban', arguing she could tackle threats from both Reform UK and the Greens. 'The fracturing and division taking over our democracy worries us all,' Powell said. 'We need to show whose side we are on.'
The contest requires candidates to secure nominations from constituency parties and affiliates before ballots are issued to members. A hustings will take place at the Labour party conference, with voting opening on 8 October and closing on 23 October. The result will be announced on 25 October.
