Labour’s deputy leadership contest has exploded into one of the most consequential and dramatic internal battles the party has faced in years, with deep implications for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s grip on power and the party’s future direction. As of September 11, 2025, the race has become a defining moment for Labour, revealing internal divisions, strategic anxieties, and the specter of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK looming large over the next general election.
With former deputy leader Angela Rayner forced to resign after failing to pay £40,000 in stamp duty on a flat in Hove, the contest to replace her has quickly become a proxy war over Labour’s identity and its readiness to take on the rising threat of the right. Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, has surged ahead, securing 116 nominations from fellow MPs—well above the 80 required to advance. Her closest rival, Lucy Powell, a recently ousted cabinet minister, trails just behind with 77 nominations, setting up a nail-biting finish as the deadline for nominations closes.
According to BBC, Dame Emily Thornberry, who had considered running for the deputy leadership, ultimately withdrew from the race after garnering only 13 nominations, saying, “it has been a privilege to take part in this race with such brilliant women.” Thornberry had warned that Labour faces “the fight of our lives” against Nigel Farage and Reform UK, urging the Prime Minister to listen more to backbenchers. “The last thing we want is to go from a position where we thought we would be in for two terms, to hand our country over to Farage,” she told BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. Thornberry praised Starmer’s restoration of Britain’s global standing and domestic reforms, particularly on workers’ rights, but lamented that “nobody seems to be hearing about that. They hear about the mistakes, and the question is, why are we making these mistakes?”
The contest has also exposed rifts within Labour’s ranks. Andy Burnham, the influential Mayor of Greater Manchester, has called for a reset in party management. “It is right to have a discussion about the internal management of the Labour Party. And in a time where the scale and the nature of the challenge we face is such as it is, you need everybody pulling together, all parts of the party pulling together,” Burnham said. He advocated for a less factional, more pluralistic approach, emphasizing that “Labour MPs need to listen to them more and respect them more.” Burnham has floated the idea of a northern MP—such as Louise Haigh or Lucy Powell—taking the deputy leadership, reflecting a desire for greater regional representation at the top.
Meanwhile, the contest has become a flashpoint for those dissatisfied with the party’s current direction. According to The Guardian, some Labour MPs see the race as a “proxy war between Keir and Andy Burnham,” with Powell’s candidacy representing a rallying point for centrist and soft-left MPs who have grown disillusioned with Starmer’s leadership. Powell, described as a formidable organiser and closely aligned with Burnham, has quietly attracted support from the “red wall” group of MPs and the soft-left Tribune group. One of her backers noted, “She is definitely becoming the magnet for those of us who want a change.”
Phillipson, on the other hand, has positioned herself as the unity candidate, campaigning on her experience as a north-east MP and her commitment to taking the fight to Reform UK. “This morning I have written to the general secretary of the Labour Party to accept nomination as a candidate for deputy leader. It’s time to unite our party and smash Reform,” she declared on Thursday, as reported by The Times. Phillipson emphasized her broad support across the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), stating she was “honoured to have the backing of such a breadth of colleagues.” Allies have highlighted her appeal to MPs from every wing of the party and her focus on confronting the far right.
Organizational chaos has only added to the drama. The contest has been marred by cancelled hustings due to tube strikes and last-minute changes to venues, with the main meeting for MPs switched to a virtual format at the eleventh hour. According to The Guardian, this has left some MPs privately voicing despair over the “chaotic nature of the race.”
The left of the party, meanwhile, feels increasingly sidelined. Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who had just 15 nominations, criticized the contest’s rules as “anti-democratic” and warned that they risk alienating the activists and members who are vital to Labour’s electoral prospects. “We are losing the people that win us elections, that crowd the streets: the activists. They are completely disenfranchised. And what I’m trying to do by standing is showing them that there’s still a place in this party for them,” Ribeiro-Addy told The Guardian. She added, “Some people think that us having this conversation is distracting from government and that we shouldn’t be debating amongst ourselves, and it looks like disunity. And I actually think if it’s done in the right way, it makes us look more mature.”
Other candidates, such as Paula Barker (14 nominations) and Alison McGovern, who dropped out and backed Phillipson, have struggled to gain traction. McGovern, in her withdrawal statement, warned that the “progressive cause is at risk of being lost unless we can tell that story,” underscoring the broader existential anxieties within Labour about its narrative and purpose.
As the contest enters its final stage, the stakes are high—not just for the candidates, but for the party as a whole. The outcome is widely seen as a referendum on Starmer’s leadership, especially as reports swirl that he may encourage Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to stand in the contest to fend off left-wing challengers. John Healey, the Defence Secretary, sought to quell speculation that David Lammy’s appointment as deputy prime minister signals Downing Street’s preference in the race, telling Sky News: “No it doesn’t. They’re two separate jobs, two very important jobs. The deputy leader of the Labour Party is an important job and an important vote for Labour Party members.”
Left-wing MP Richard Burgon has demanded that the contest “must not be a stitch-up,” insisting that “members must not be sidelined.” The sense among many on the left is that the rules and the prevailing mood among MPs have made it nearly impossible for a genuine debate about Labour’s direction to take place, especially after the divisive years of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
With the deadline for nominations looming, all eyes are on whether Lucy Powell can muster the final few supporters needed to force a head-to-head with Phillipson, or whether the Education Secretary will glide to victory unopposed. Either way, the contest has already forced Labour to confront uncomfortable questions about its internal democracy, its response to the populist right, and its ability to unite a fractious party ahead of a pivotal general election.
As Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool approaches at the end of September, the outcome of this contest—and the bruising debates it has triggered—will set the tone for the party’s campaign against Reform UK and its own quest for unity. For now, Labour is left grappling with its own identity, its leadership, and the urgent need to reconnect with the public before the next battle for Downing Street begins in earnest.
