Lucy Powell wins Labour deputy leadership election | Lucy Powell

Lucy Powell won the Labor Party’s deputy leader election, beating her rival Bridget Phillipson.

Powell, who was leader of the House of Commons until he was sacked due to Keir Starmer’s reshuffle at the beginning of September, was seen as the favorite throughout the contest. He received 87,407 votes, while Phillipson received 73,536, 54% of the votes cast. Turnout of eligible voters was 16.6%.

The result was announced on Saturday morning, following a vote seen as a referendum for Labor members on the direction of the party under Starmer. Education minister Phillipson was seen as Downing Street’s preferred candidate.

Both candidates have called for the removal of the two-child allowance cap, a policy that caused a riot in parliament just weeks after Labor took office and is widely unpopular among members.

In his victory speech in front of Starmer and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Powell pointed to the government’s failings and said Labor was not strong enough to oppose Nigel Farage’s UK Reform.

He said the party “cannot win by trying to leave Reformation behind.”

He called on the leadership to listen to members and MPs, many of whom have had the whip withdrawn since the party came to power for rebelling on issues such as welfare spending and the two-child benefit limit.

“Our members and elected representatives are not our weakness, they are our core asset and drive change on the ground,” Powell said. “Unity and loyalty come from collective purpose, not command and control. Arguing, listening and hearing is not dissent. This is our strength.”

He said: “To deliver the great change the country is crying out for, we must offer hope. We must offer a stronger sense of our purpose, whose side we are on and our Labor values ​​and beliefs. That is what I have heard loud and clear across the country over the last few weeks.”

He added: “Although we are doing a lot of good things… people don’t think this government is brave enough to deliver the kind of change we promised. “I will stand up for our Labor values ​​and courage in everything we do.

“This starts with us tackling the political megaphone and setting the agenda more forcefully. Because let’s be honest, we’ve let Farage and his ilk get away with it.”

He said: “Division and hatred are growing, discontent and frustration are widespread, the desire for change is impatient and palpable. “People are looking around, looking elsewhere for answers, and we as Labor and the party of government must step forward and take this on.

“We have a great chance to show that progressive, mainstream politics can really change people’s lives for the better.”

Starmer welcomed Powell’s victory and acknowledged the challenges facing Labor, a day after the party lost seats in the Welsh parliament to Plaid Cymru.

He referred to a promise made last weekend by Conservative MP Katie Lam, who said she believed “too many people” living legally in the UK should have their right to stay and “go home” revoked to create a “more culturally cohesive group of people”.

Starmer said this showed the Conservatives and Reform wanted to take Britain “into a very dark place”.

“Our duty, no matter who we are in this party, is to unite everyone who opposes this policy in this country and defeat it once and for all.

“This week we’ve had another reminder of how urgent that task is. A bad outcome in Wales. I accept that, but it’s a reminder that people need to look out their windows and see change and regeneration in their communities, opportunities for their children, public services being rebuilt, the cost of living crisis being resolved.”

The result was closer than expected; A Survation poll earlier this week suggested Powell would receive 58% of the votes cast. The 16.6% turnout was significantly lower than the 58.8% in the last deputy leader election in 2020.

Members and union members constituted 970,642 people with the right to vote.

The contest has become increasingly competitive over the last six weeks. Last weekend Powell was described as the “Momentum candidate” and Phillipson gave an interview saying his opponent would cost the party the election.

The vote comes after Angela Rayner resigned last month after it was revealed she had underpaid stamp duty when buying a house in Brighton.

Speaking in the House of Commons this week, Rayner told MPs he would pay “any tax he owes” for the first time since he resigned following the report by the prime minister’s ethics adviser, Laurie Magnus.

Unlike Rayner, Powell will not become deputy prime minister, as that position was already given to David Lammy.

Powell appears to be closely associated with Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who has been accused of launching an anonymous leadership bid ahead of the party’s conference last month.

During the campaign, Powell frequently cited “mistakes” the party made on issues such as winter fuel assistance.