The race to become Labour’s next deputy leader is heating up, and it’s already revealing fault lines within the party and sparking headaches for the government. The contest follows the high-profile resignation of Angela Rayner last week, after she admitted to underpaying tax on her £800,000 flat in Hove—a saga that has sent ripples through the party and prompted a public scramble for her successor. According to BBC and other sources, the process is moving at breakneck speed, with candidates facing a daunting set of hurdles just to get their names on the ballot.
On September 9, 2025, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson emerged as the early frontrunner among six Labour MPs vying for the post. By the end of that day, she had secured 44 supporters, outpacing former Commons leader Lucy Powell, who had 35, and leaving the remaining candidates—Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Dame Emily Thornberry, Paula Barker, and Alison McGovern—trailing in single digits. The contest’s first major deadline looms at 17:00 BST on Thursday, September 11, when candidates must secure the backing of 80 MPs to proceed. With the clock ticking, the pressure is on, and the process is drawing criticism from within Labour’s own ranks.
“It is absolutely unfair, and I don’t think it’s what the membership want,” Bell Ribeiro-Addy, a left-wing backbencher, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. She’s not alone in her frustration. The tight timetable has forced candidates to scramble for endorsements in days, a process Ribeiro-Addy has publicly called anti-democratic. As the BBC notes, securing 80 backers in such a short time is no small feat, and it’s left some MPs grumbling about the fairness of the race.
But the contest isn’t just about process. It’s also about the direction of the party. Phillipson, the only Cabinet member to announce her candidacy so far, made a clear pitch at the TUC conference in Brighton—though notably, she avoided mentioning the contest itself. She pledged to implement Angela Rayner’s Employment Bill in full, telling union members, “No ifs, no buts, we will implement the Bill in full.” Her message was one of continuity and unity, promising to uphold Labour’s values of equality, fairness, and social justice. “I’ve shown we can beat Farage in the North East, while staying true to the Labour Party’s values,” she declared, positioning herself as a steady hand in turbulent times.
Lucy Powell, meanwhile, is running on her roots in Manchester and her connection to everyday concerns. After being sacked as the government’s leader of the House of Commons just days before announcing her candidacy, Powell said, “Living with my family in my home city, Manchester, has rooted my politics in an understanding of people’s everyday hopes and fears. As our deputy leader, I would ensure these are at the heart of what we do and how we operate, bringing together all parts of the party and uniting our broad voter coalition.” Her campaign is focused on unity and representing the broad spectrum of Labour’s supporters.
On the left, Bell Ribeiro-Addy has been a vocal critic of the party’s recent direction. She’s opposed government decisions on benefits cuts and the ban of Palestine Action, and she’s been clear about her discontent. “Labour needed to have a discussion about what’s gone wrong with the party’s direction,” she insisted, highlighting growing unease among some members and voters over the party’s stance on Gaza and welfare cuts. She’s also called for scrapping the two-child benefit cap and lifting the ban on Palestine Action, positions that set her apart from the government line.
Dame Emily Thornberry, chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee and a former shadow attorney general, has also thrown her hat in the ring. Thornberry didn’t mince words in her campaign launch, stating, “We’ve made mistakes and must listen. Welfare. Gaza. Wealth tax,” and promising, “I will be a voice for the membership, unions, PLP, and our constituents—not just nod along.” Her pitch is clear: she won’t be a rubber stamp for the leadership, and she’s willing to challenge the government on key issues, including the possibility of a wealth tax—an idea that could gain traction ahead of the November Budget, as noted by BBC political correspondents.
Paula Barker and Alison McGovern, though less prominent in the early stages, have also made their intentions clear. Barker has emphasized the need for more geographical and political diversity at the top of the party, warning that Labour “cannot take on Reform UK at their own game.” Instead, she argues, the party should “go back to our true Labour values, which means fighting for our public services, putting workers back at the heart of our agenda and fulfilling our promise to prioritize people over profit.” McGovern, a housing minister, has warned of “a huge threat from the dark forces of right-wing populism,” arguing that Labour’s best hope is to offer “real hope and pride in our diverse country.”
As the BBC and other outlets have pointed out, the race is not just a test of political vision but also of organizational muscle. Candidates must first secure the required MP nominations by September 11, then win backing from either 5% of local parties or three Labour-affiliated groups—including two unions—between September 13 and 27. Only then will they make it onto the final ballot for party members and affiliated supporters, with voting running from October 8 to October 23 and the winner announced on October 25.
Whoever wins, the contest will have lasting consequences for Labour’s direction and internal dynamics. The role of deputy leader is elected by party members, but the position of deputy prime minister—currently held by David Lammy—is appointed by the prime minister and is unaffected by the outcome of this race. The resignation of Angela Rayner, who said she took “full responsibility for this error” regarding her tax affairs, has left a leadership vacuum at a delicate moment for the party.
The contest has also reignited debates about gender and representation in Labour’s top ranks. Notably, all the current candidates are women, and some senior figures, including former deputy leader Harriet Harman, have argued that the post should remain in female hands. Harman told BBC Newsnight that Labour, which has never had a permanent female leader, needs a deputy who can “broaden the reach of the leader and galvanize the party.”
But not everyone is happy about the timing or the process. Former Home Secretary Lord Blunkett has suggested suspending the campaign until Labour conducts a full review of the deputy leader’s role, lamenting the party’s tendency to “internalize” and focus on “the internal campaign against each other.” As he put it, “We’ve really got to get off it.”
With hundreds of Labour MPs yet to declare their support, the race remains wide open. The coming days will reveal which candidates can clear the first hurdle and whether the eventual winner will be a government loyalist or a critical outsider. Either way, the contest is set to shape Labour’s future—and perhaps the country’s—for years to come.
The deputy leadership race may be moving fast, but it’s already forcing Labour to confront big questions about its values, its direction, and its ability to unite in the face of both internal and external challenges.
