Lucy Powell elected Labour's deputy leader

After a competition triggered by Angela Rayner's resignation last month, Lucy Powell has been elected Labour's next deputy leader. The Manchester Central MP defeated Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson by pledging to give grassroots constituents a greater voice and call for a course change in government. In September, she was sacked from the cabinet and gained support from members who are dissatisfied with the government's policies under Sir Keir Starmer's leadership. On a turnout of 16. Powell received 87,407 votes, nearly 14,000 votes ahead of Phillipson. 6%. During her victory address, she said that the party must be bolder and that she would be a "champion for Labour values.

She said she would help Keir and our government do well but that the party must change how we are doing it to turn around, she said. Powell said she would use her position to bring voices who believe the government is not being brave enough to the center of our party.I'll be a spokesperson for our Labour values and boldness in everything we do, and I know that you, as our leader, want that - and I'll remain your ally in that struggle. Powell also singled out Reform United Kingdom, saying that it

starts with us wrestling back the political megaphone and setting the tone more strongly

and that

we've allowed [Nigel] Farage and his ilk to run away with it. According to her, the party could not gain traction by

attempting to out-Reform" Reform.

Powell's victory comes after a week in which the government has been asked about the grooming gangs investigation and the wrong delivery of a migrant sex offender from jail. Labour was defeated in a Senedd by-election in Caerphilly, a seat the party had held for more than a century. The prime minister confirmed that Wales had had had a poor result and that people should

look out their window and see change and revival in their neighborhood, opportunities for their children, and the cost of living crisis was addressed. Labour must now

uniteandkeep our attention on what is, in my opinion, the defining battle for our country's soul,

he said. In a tweet, Phillipson congratulated Powell on her win in a speech but later said she was

obviously dissatisfied with today's It'scritical that our party now comes together to fight Reform in next year's critical Senedd, Holyrood, and municipal elections," she said.

With six candidates running, the Labour deputy leader began with six candidates, but the field was quickly reduced to two, with Phillipson widely considered the leadership's favorite candidate. When the election campaign first began, the education secretary took the lead, gaining more MPs and union endorsements, but Powell gained ground by gaining support from constituency parties. She was endorsed by figures who have been vocally critical of Labour leadership, including Mayor Andy Burnham of Greater Manchester. Powell and Phillipson served in cabinet together and are seen as close politically, but although the campaign was largely collegiate, it was also accused of mud-slinging and sexist briefings at certain points. At Labour's conference, Hustings highlighted a difference in strategy: Phillipson warned against division and disunity, while Powell said Labour leaders must listen to a wider variety of voices to avoid political blunders. The government was compelled into a U-turn over cuts to welfare, which Powell blamed on Starmer's staff's inability to listen to MPs in June. Powell often referred to mistakes made by the party on topics such as the winter fuel allowance during his tenure.

Rayner's dramatic resignation after announcing that underpaying tax on a house was triggered by the election. Although Sir Keir and Rayner's friendships were tense at times, she was seen as a central figure in government. She served as the party's traditional working class and union base, and was seen as a political bridge between the leadership and the party members' traditional working classes and union bases. However, following Sir Keir's appointment of David Lammy as deputy prime minister and placing key allies in other cabinet positions, the deputy leadership remained as purely party-based role. However, Powell will serve as the party's campaigner-in-chief on Labour's influential National Executive Committee and act as the group's "The previous occupants of the role have attempted to unite the party's ranks, but differences of opinion with leaders have also contributed to divisions. John Prescott became a link to Labour's party faithful under Sir Tony Blair, and the pair had a close friendship, while Tom Watson, on the other hand, clashed with Jeremy Corbyn. If Powell's election boosts Labour's campaign machine or worsens internal tensions, it could have a major effect on the party's fortunes over the next few months. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is weeks away from releasing an eager Budget, where she is likely to raise taxes. The party is also just six months away from undergoing a difficult series of council and assembly elections in England and Wales, where Powell will play a key role in mobilizing demonstrators.