The Labour Party’s deputy leadership race has erupted into a lively contest, pitting two prominent figures—Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, and Lucy Powell, the recently ousted government minister—against each other in a battle that could shape the party’s future direction. As the contest heats up, former Labour leader Lord Neil Kinnock’s endorsement of Powell has injected fresh energy and controversy into the race, raising questions about the party’s values, its connection to working-class communities, and the best way to deliver on the promises that swept Labour back into government.
Lord Kinnock’s support for Lucy Powell, announced in early October 2025, represents more than just a personal vote of confidence. According to The Guardian, Kinnock described Powell as “totally Labour and embodying the basic truth that it is vital that the broad Labour movement is heard and heeded.” He praised her as someone who “will give distinctive and reasoning support to our Government” and predicted she would be “an outstanding deputy leader in the best traditions of our party.” For Powell, who was sacked from the government just last month and is widely seen as the ‘anti-Keir’ candidate, this endorsement could prove pivotal. Polls suggest she enjoys strong support among Labour members, even as party insiders and Prime Minister Keir Starmer himself are thought to favor Phillipson.
Powell’s campaign has positioned her as a champion of grassroots voices and a critic of groupthink within Labour’s leadership. “We can be better if we listen to broader voices and make a stronger case of whose side we are on and in whose interests we serve. I will help us to do that,” she told The Guardian. Dismissing her rival’s warnings that her leadership would sow division, Powell called such claims “ridiculous” and insisted she could help Labour “reach back” into communities and make better decisions. For many party members, her straight-talking style and willingness to challenge the status quo are refreshing, even if they make the party establishment nervous.
Phillipson, meanwhile, has leaned into her record as a cabinet minister and her personal story of growing up in a working-class family in the north-east. In a recent debate hosted by The Guardian, she recounted, “We had no heating upstairs when I was growing up, and we struggled with damp. But that story’s not unique: it’s shared by so many working people across Britain.” She touted Labour’s achievements in government, including the revival of Sure Start, expanded free school meals, and new investments in childcare and public services. As co-chair of the Child Poverty Taskforce, she has advocated removing the two-child benefit limit and pledged to continue fighting for policies that “change the lives of working people.”
Both candidates have been pressed on how they would address the cost of living crisis and tackle economic inequality—a central concern for Labour’s base. Powell called for a “much stronger sense that tackling economic inequality and fairness unites everything we do,” backing the lifting of the two-child benefit cap and supporting public ownership of buses, trains, and a new energy company, GB Energy. She emphasized the need to “seize back the political megaphone” and set the terms of debate, ensuring Labour’s values shine through every policy.
Phillipson, for her part, highlighted the practical impact of Labour’s policies on working-class families, from free breakfast clubs to capping branded school items. She stressed the importance of investment in public services and fair pay for fair work, arguing, “It is only a united Labour party, the greatest vehicle for social justice this country has ever seen, that can deliver real change in our communities and country.”
The question of a wealth tax has also featured prominently in the debate. Lord Kinnock, in a move that added to the pressure on Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, has advocated a two percent levy on assets over £10 million—potentially raising up to £11 billion a year to address government fiscal issues. According to The Guardian, Kinnock believes such a tax would be “popular with a great majority of the general public.” Powell has echoed the need for a stronger narrative on fairness and the need to address the concentration of wealth, while Phillipson has pointed to Labour’s steps toward progressive taxation and ending tax breaks for private schools, though she notes that the chancellor ultimately sets tax policy. The Conservative Party, meanwhile, has condemned Kinnock’s proposal as “the worst thing to do,” warning it would drive wealth creators out of Britain.
Beyond economic debates, both candidates have weighed in on the party’s approach to social cohesion and the fight against hate. On a recent appearance on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Phillipson promised “more support” for universities to protect Jewish students from antisemitism, calling it “the poison of antisemitism.” She also outlined plans to give Labour members a greater role in party decision-making if elected deputy leader. Powell, meanwhile, has been outspoken in rejecting far-right narratives, stating, “The far right feeds off fear and negativity, exploiting the struggles of people across the country and offering false solutions and empty promises. Let me be clear: we won’t win by parroting the language of Reform UK and Nigel Farage.”
The contest has not been without criticism from the grassroots. Some party members have challenged both candidates to be bolder on issues such as wealth taxes and housing. One reader, quoted in The Guardian, asked why Labour isn’t adopting a wealth tax and called for a clearer commitment to bold, redistributive policies. Others have pressed the candidates on issues like rejoining the customs union or addressing the housing crisis, with both Powell and Phillipson pointing to Labour’s ambitious housebuilding targets and reforms to the right-to-buy scheme.
On climate policy, both candidates have reaffirmed Labour’s commitment to net zero and tackling the climate crisis, with Phillipson warning against being “blown off course by climate deniers” and Powell promising to “motor ahead to net zero” and call out policies from Reform and the Tories that would “cost jobs and investment and worsen the climate and nature crisis.”
As the race enters its final stages, the outcome remains uncertain. Will Labour members opt for Phillipson’s steady hand and record in government, or will they choose Powell’s outspoken advocacy for grassroots voices and bolder action on inequality? With Lord Kinnock’s endorsement shaking up the contest, and with both candidates laying out distinct visions for Labour’s future, the deputy leadership race is shaping up to be a defining moment for the party. One thing is clear: the decision Labour members make now will echo far beyond the party’s internal politics, shaping the direction of Britain’s government in the years to come.
