I’d be a full-time deputy leader – and I wouldn’t be afraid to tell it like it is
3 min read
I was at home in Manchester at one of my kids’ parents’ evenings when I heard that I’d been nominated by enough MPs to cross the first hurdle in the election for deputy leader of the Labour Party.
It’s not a vacancy any of us wanted, nor a role or position I expected to put myself forward for. But it’s an honour to walk in the footsteps of our great deputies of the past, who, in their different ways, made a huge impact in bringing the hope and change that only Labour governments do.
This is an important moment for our movement, and our country. I would be a strong, independent voice for deputy leader. Outside Cabinet, but on the inside track with our members, unions, movement and communities. A full-time deputy, fully focused on bridging the divide between party and country, working to rebuild our support with a message of change and hope.
I really want our Labour government to succeed, and sometimes that means speaking hard truths
I joined the Labour Party growing up in the North under Margaret Thatcher, angry at the wasted potential I saw around me. My politics today are shaped by that past, but also living in present-day Manchester. My home has always been in Manchester, and my values and politics are shaped by the hopes and fears of everyday people here. They’re an important corrective to the Westminster bubble, grounding me in their struggles every day, not the parlour games that take place there.
As deputy leader, I would link the heart of our party – our members, unions, elected representatives and the communities they represent – with the head of our party in government.
At the moment, there’s a feeling of frustration in our party and the country. Politics is moving incredibly fast, and government is sometimes slow. The public aren’t hearing about the real change we’re making because of the missteps we’ve made.
I really want our Labour government to succeed, and sometimes that means speaking hard truths. Not sniping from the sidelines, but ensuring we listen and act on that frustration we hear and change.
As deputy, I wouldn’t be afraid to tell it like it is. Openness, constructive challenge behind closed doors, robust debate – these are all strengths, not weaknesses. A culture change at the top of our party that will help us avoid mistakes and connect with communities again. That’s how we succeed and that’s where our strength as a broad church lies.
The fracturing and division taking over our democracy worries us all. We have a huge responsibility to bring people together. I want to play my part in that as deputy leader.
My own seat in Manchester is half red wall, half urban. I know what it takes to rebuild our voter coalition. All over the country, we’re at risk of losing votes to both sides. We must tell a better story and offer a bold vision that unites our broad coalition, and our country.
In government, I was in charge of legislation – the Employment Rights Bill, railways in public hands, establishing Great British Energy for lower bills and to become a clean energy superpower and ending water bosses’ bonuses.
Week in, week out, I championed Labour against all comers in the Commons. I was a shop steward for our backbench MPs, and I now want to do that for our movement too.
Doing the deputy leader job full-time, outside the constraints of government, I can be laser-focused on connecting with our communities and the difficult elections we have next year.
When we include more voices and experiences, we make decisions which hold true to our values. That’s how we’ll change the country.
Lucy Powell, Labour MP for Manchester Central and deputy leadership candidate
