Emily Thornberry has withdrawn from the contest to become Labour's deputy leader, clearing the way for a likely two‑horse race between Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and former Commons leader Lucy Powell.
Thornberry, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said it had been a "privilege" to compete but announced her withdrawal as the deadline for MP nominations loomed at 5 p.m. on Thursday. She had secured 13 MP backers and did not say which candidate she would now support.
By 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Phillipson had secured 116 nominations from MPs, comfortably above the 80‑nomination threshold required to advance to the next stage of the contest. Powell was reported to be three nominations short of the threshold, with 77 backers. Two other contenders, left‑wing MP Bell Ribeiro‑Addy and Liverpool Wavertree MP Paula Barker, had 15 and 14 nominations respectively.
Alison McGovern, who had also been standing, withdrew from the contest on Wednesday and declared her backing for Phillipson, saying the "momentum of this contest had shifted." That endorsement, together with Thornberry's withdrawal, increases the likelihood of a direct contest between Phillipson and Powell for the deputy leadership.
Labour figures and commentators have said the prospect of a contested deputy‑leader election risks overshadowing the party's annual conference in Liverpool later this month. Some within and outside the party have framed the deputy race as a potential referendum on Sir Keir Starmer's leadership, though neither Phillipson nor Powell has mounted an explicit public challenge to the party leader.
Phillipson, a member of Starmer's cabinet, has campaigned on a promise to "unite the party, take the fight to Reform, and deliver for our country." Powell, who was sacked from her government role last week, said she was "proud" to have served in government when she announced her candidacy.
The contest follows an internal scramble for MP nominations required to progress to the membership ballot. Candidates must clear the 80‑MP threshold to remain in the contest; those who do not reach it by the nominations deadline will be eliminated. With several candidates trailing well below that mark, the deputy leadership contest appears increasingly likely to be decided between Phillipson, who has already passed the threshold, and Powell, who remains close but short as nominations close.
Labour's deputy leader role carries responsibilities both inside Parliament and across the broader party apparatus, and the outcome will shape the party's posture ahead of the next general election campaign. The timetable set by the party requires nominations from MPs in the coming hours, after which surviving candidates will seek the backing of party members and affiliated organisations if the contest proceeds to a ballot.
Party officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Campaign teams for Phillipson and Powell declined to add to their earlier statements beyond reiterating their commitment to contesting the role and appealing to MPs and members for support.
The deputy leadership race will continue to unfold through the nominations deadline and into the party's subsequent selection stages, with the result expected to become clearer once final counts are published after 5 p.m. on Thursday.