By Eniola Amadu
Following the resignation of Labour’s former deputy leader, Angela Rayner last month, Lucy Powell has been elected as the new leader.
She won the election against Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson by pledging to push for a “course correction” in government and give grassroots members a louder voice.
Powell secured 87,407 votes, finishing nearly 14,000 ahead of Phillipson, with voter turnout recorded at 16.6%.
The Manchester Central MP was sacked from the cabinet in September and gained support from members who are displeased with the government’s administration under the leadership of Keir Starmer.
Powell stated in her victory speech that the party needed to be “bolder” and vowed to be a “champion” for Labour values.
She expressed her intention to use her position to “amplify the voices” of those who feel the government is not being bold enough “within the heart of our party.”
She said: “I’ll be a champion for our Labour values and boldness in everything we do, and I know that you, Keir, as our leader, want that – and I will be your ally in that fight”.
She revealed she would “help Keir and our government to succeed”, however, the party “must change how we are doing things to turn things around”.
Speaking on the Reform UK, she stated that it “ starts with us wrestling back the political megaphone and setting the agenda more strongly, because let’s be honest we’ve let [Nigel] Farage and his ilk run away with it”.
She noted that by “trying to ‘out-Reform’ Reform” the party could not win support.
Powell’s victory followed a challenging week for the government, which faced scrutiny over the grooming gangs inquiry and the mistaken release of a migrant sex offender from prison.
Also, the week saw Labour lose the Caerphilly Senedd by-election, a seat it had held for 100 years.
Acknowledging the setback, the prime minister described it as a “bad result” for the party and a reminder that “people need to look out their window and see change and renewal in their community, opportunities for their children, public services rebuilt, and the cost of living crisis tackled.”
He urged the party to “unite” and remain focused on what he called “the defining battle for the soul of our nation.”
Meanwhile, major opponent Phillipson, felicitate with Powell in a statement and said she was “obviously disappointed at today’s result”.
However, she stated that it was “crucial that our party now comes together to take the fight to reform in next year’s crucial senedd, Holyrood and local elections”.
