Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell Vie for Labour Deputy Leadership

Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell are set to compete for the deputy leadership of the Labour Party following the departure of Angela Rayner. Both candidates successfully qualified for the ballot after securing endorsements from trade unions and constituency Labour parties (CLPs) by the deadline on Friday. This sets the stage for a significant leadership contest within the party as members prepare to vote in October.

Phillipson, who is currently the Education Secretary, was the first candidate to meet the nomination threshold, thanks to the backing of the National Union of Mineworkers, becoming the third trade union to support her candidacy, following endorsements from Usdaw and Community. She expressed her gratitude, stating she was “honoured to be the first candidate on the ballot paper” and emphasized her commitment to be a “campaigning deputy leader at the Cabinet table.”

Late on Friday, Powell’s campaign indicated that the former Commons leader had also secured enough support to join the ballot. A spokesperson for her team remarked that two “very strong evenings” of CLP nominations highlighted Labour members’ support for her vision of unity within the party and the nation. The spokesperson added that Powell’s candidacy has already influenced discussions around critical issues like child poverty.

In a recent interview with the BBC, Powell urged ministers to be more explicit about the need to abolish the two-child benefit cap, a contentious policy that has faced significant scrutiny. Phillipson echoed this sentiment, stating that eliminating the “spiteful” policy is crucial in the fight against child poverty. She described the issue as “profoundly personal” and called for a mandate to address it more comprehensively as deputy leader.

Phillipson’s remarks suggest a growing openness among Cabinet members to reconsider the cap, particularly as she is perceived as the preferred candidate for the position by Downing Street. She co-chairs the child poverty taskforce that was established by the Government last year and is expected to deliver a report with recommendations, including on the two-child cap, ahead of the Budget expected in November.

Alison Garnham, the chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group, stated, “Hopefully there is now a clear understanding across Government that unless the two-child limit is scrapped, there will be more children in poverty at the end of this parliament than when Labour took office.” She emphasized the need for the policy’s removal in the forthcoming child poverty strategy to safeguard the futures of vulnerable children.

As of now, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has not committed to abolishing the cap but has refrained from ruling it out entirely. Phillipson and Powell are scheduled to participate in a hustings event on the final day of the Labour Party’s annual conference in Liverpool. The results of the deputy leadership contest will be announced on October 25, 2023.