Blow for Starmer as sacked Cabinet minister Lucy Powell wins Labour deputy leader contest – warning he is failing and must lurch to the Left
Keir Starmer suffered another blow today when he appointed Lucy Powell as Labour’s new deputy and warned she was not “brave” enough.
Ms Powell, who was sacked from the Cabinet by the Prime Minister last month, beat out Education Minister Bridget Phillipson in the contest.
Although turnout was only 16.6 percent, he received 87,407 votes to his opponent’s 73,536 votes; by a margin of 54 percent to 46 percent.
In her victory speech in central London, Ms Powell said the party was in the ‘fight of our lives’. ‘Division and hatred are increasing. “People are looking around, elsewhere, to find answers,” he said.
Ms Powell warned Labor had a ‘great chance’ to show ‘progressive’ politics ‘can work’ for Britain.
While he insisted he was there to ‘help’ Sir Keir, he gave a devastating assessment of his performance.
‘We need to give a stronger sense of our purpose, whose side we are on and our Labor values and beliefs,’ he said.
‘People don’t think this government is brave enough to deliver the kind of change we promised.’
Ms Powell, who has made clear she does not want a ministerial post, said the government needed to take back the ‘megaphone’ and could not ‘leave Reformation behind’.
‘ILet’s be honest, we let Farage and his ilk get away with it. “He wants to blame immigration for all the problems in the country,” he said.
Speaking after his new deputy, Sir Keir admitted the extraordinary disaster in yesterday’s Senedd by-election for Caerphilly was ‘bad’.
He accused Reform and the Conservatives of wanting to ‘deport our neighbours’ by making retroactive changes to the Indefinite Leave to Remain status.
During the campaign, Lucy Powell frequently spoke of ‘mistakes’ made by the Labor leadership on issues such as the winter fuel allowance.
Bridget Phillipson was seen as the leadership candidate due to her status as a Cabinet minister
Sir Keir embraces Ms Powell after victory is announced
The latest miserable week for Keir Starmer ended yesterday as Plaid Cymru returned home for Caerphilly in the Senedd by-election.
The Manchester MP has promised to speak out on whether the party needs to change direction.
He is a close ally of Andy Burnham and is seen by some as a potential replacement for Sir Keir.
The result comes amid growing panic over Labour’s collapse in public support and the threat of Reform.
With crucial local elections approaching in May, leftists are demanding a ‘wealth tax’ from next month’s Budget to finance a new spending splurge.
The last miserable week for Sir Keir ended yesterday when Plaid Cymru returned home in the Senedd by-election for Caerphilly.
The Labor Party fell to third place, receiving only 11 percent of the vote in an area it has dominated for a century.
Nigel Farage’s party made a big gain into second place, but this was seen as a disappointing result.
Sir Keir said today: ‘We need to drive the renewal that workers need to see.
‘Now, this week we got another reminder of how urgent this task is.
‘It’s a bad result in Wales, I accept that, but I would like to remind people that they need to look out their windows and see change and renewal in their communities, opportunities for their children, public services being rebuilt, livelihoods being solved.
‘Renewal is the only answer to decline, grievance and division, and we must continue to do so.
‘This is the offer we need to make to the people of Scotland, Wales and England next year.
‘Which means we have to come together. We must unite. ‘We must continue to focus on the war that, in my view, is decisive for the soul of our nation.’
A stunning mistake resulted in Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu being released from prison.
Sir Keir also saw the Canal boats scheme thrown into chaos as a migrant returning to France under the vaunted ‘one in, one out’ deal resurfaced on British shores.
There are claims that Emmanuel Macron has given up on agreeing to a tougher deal to stop boats leaving French shores.
And Germany appears to be backing away from its pledge to close a loophole that would mean it is not illegal to help people smuggle people into the UK.
The deputy leader row was triggered by Angela Rayner’s resignation after admitting she had underpaid stamp duty.
Ms Phillipson was seen as the leadership candidate due to her status as a sitting Cabinet minister.
Speaking after his new deputy, Sir Keir admitted yesterday’s extraordinary disaster in the Senedd by-election for Caerphilly was ‘bad’
Labour’s big beasts waited awkwardly in central London this morning to hear the news
Labor MPs demand more spending funded by huge tax rises in budget
During the campaign, Ms Powell frequently referred to ‘mistakes’ the party had made on issues such as the winter fuel discount.
In his final message to supporters this week, he criticized the ‘command and control’ culture within the Government, arguing that ‘blindly following’ was ‘neglecting our duty to defeat the politics of hatred and division’.
Surveys of Labor Party members show that more than half believe the party is heading in the wrong direction.
