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Lucy Powell has secured the win in the Labour deputy leadership election, overcoming her challenger Bridget Phillipson.

Vote Breakdown and Outcome

Formerly the Commons leader before being replaced in a September reshuffle, was widely considered the frontrunner during the race. She obtained 87,407 votes, accounting for 54% of the cast ballots, whereas Phillipson got 73,536. Turnout stood at 16.6%.

The result was revealed on Saturday following a vote that many interpreted as a measure for party adherents on Labour's path under its current leadership. Phillipson, the education secretary, was viewed as the favored candidate of Downing Street.

Shared Policy Stances

Each candidate advocated for the scrapping of the cap on benefits for third children, a policy that caused a insurgency in parliament soon after Labour took power and is largely disliked among supporters.

Winning Speech by Powell

During her winning remarks given before the party leader and the home secretary, Powell suggested government shortcomings and commented that Labour had lacked strength against Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

She declared, “We cannot succeed by attempting to outdo Reform.”

She urged the leadership to pay attention to the grassroots and parliamentarians, several of whom have been disciplined since the party entered government for defying the party on issues such as benefit outlays and the two-child benefit cap.

“Party members and representatives are not a weakness, they’re our greatest strength, delivering change on the ground,” Powell said. “Cohesion and faithfulness stem from common aims, not from authoritarian rule. Arguing, attending and comprehending is not disloyalty. It’s our strength.”

She continued: “We must provide hope, to deliver the major change the country is demanding. We should communicate a more definite feeling of our mission, where our loyalties lie, and of our ideals and tenets. That’s the message I received plainly and audibly throughout the land over the past few weeks.”

She also mentioned: “Although we're doing much good … voters sense that this government is lacking courage in delivering the type of transformation we vowed. I intend to fight for our party ideals and boldness in everything we do.

“It starts with us wrestling back the political narrative and defining the priorities more forcefully. Because let’s be honest, we’ve allowed Farage and his followers to control it.”

She stated: “Discord and animosity are growing, discontent and disillusionment widespread, the demand for reform impatient and palpable. The public is looking in other places for responses, and we as the Labour party, as the party of government, must step forward and tackle this.

“We have this one big chance to prove that progressive, mainstream politics can indeed change people’s lives for the better.”

Leader's Remarks and Labour's Struggles

The party leader applauded Powell’s success, and acknowledged the hurdles faced by Labour, a day after the party suffered a defeat in the Welsh parliament to a rival party.

He cited a pledge made by a Conservative MP who last weekend claimed she believed “a large number of people” living legally in the UK should have their right to stay revoked and “go home” to produce a more “culturally coherent group of people”.

The leader remarked it demonstrated that the Conservatives and Reform sought to bring Britain to a “very dark place”.

“Our responsibility, every one of us in this party, is to bring together every single person in this country who is resisting that ideology, and to beat it, permanently.

“This week we had another reminder of just how pressing that mission is. A bad outcome in Wales. I admit that, but it is a warning that people need to look out their window and see change and renewal in their locality, chances for the next generation, public services rebuilt, the resolved financial pressures.”

Contest Background and Participation

The conclusion was more narrow than predicted; a recent poll had indicated Powell would get 58% of ballots cast. The participation rate of 16.6% was markedly lower than the last deputy leadership election in 2020, which saw 58.8%.

Party members and union associates comprised the 970,642 people eligible to vote.

The contest grew progressively hostile over the past month and a half. Recently, Powell was described as “the Momentum candidate” and Phillipson spoke to the press saying her opponent would harm the party's electoral chances.

The election was called after the ex-deputy resigned last month when she was determined to have paid too little stamp duty on a property purchase.

Remarks in parliament this week – the first time she had done so since resigning following a report by the prime minister’s ethics adviser – the former deputy leader told MPs she would pay “any taxes owed”.

In contrast to her predecessor, Powell will not be appointed deputy prime minister, with the role having already been given to another senior figure.

Powell is viewed as being tightly connected with the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, who was accused of initiating a campaign for leader in all but name before the party’s previous assembly.

Over the election period, Powell frequently mentioned “missteps” made by the party on issues such as the winter fuel allowance.