Bridget Phillipson has taken an early lead in Labour's race to replace Angela Rayner as deputy leader after her team said she had gathered 44 nominations by the end of Tuesday, putting her on course to clear the 80‑MP threshold needed to remain in the contest.
Candidates seeking the party’s deputy leadership must secure the support of at least 80 Labour MPs by 17:00 on Thursday to stay on the ballot. Phillipson’s campaign believes it will reach that mark a day early, a development that could sharply narrow the field and reshape the contest for Labour members.
By the close of Tuesday, former Commons leader Lucy Powell had 35 backers, Bell Ribeiro‑Addy had eight, Dame Emily Thornberry had seven, Paula Barker had three and Alison McGovern had two. Those figures account for about 99 declarations, leaving roughly 300 of Labour’s 399 MPs yet to state a preferred candidate.
Labour’s cabinet, which includes 24 MPs, was instructed not to nominate any candidate, although junior ministers remain free to do so. Party figures have warned that a number of MPs could choose not to back anyone, a decision that would reduce the pool of nominators and could make it easier for a single candidate to meet the threshold.
As the only cabinet minister standing, Phillipson is widely viewed as more aligned with the current government than some of her rivals, a factor opponents say could contribute to her consolidation of support. Some rival campaigns have expressed concern that a split field could allow Phillipson to be the only candidate to secure the required parliamentary nominations; campaign teams have also suggested that such an outcome would be welcomed in Downing Street because it would conclude the contest quickly.
Rival groups are discussing the potential need to concentrate support around a single viable challenger rather than dispersing votes across multiple contenders. Supporters of Lucy Powell, who was removed from her cabinet post in a recent reshuffle, said they remained cautiously optimistic about reaching the 80‑MP threshold.
The six declared candidates will take part in a virtual hustings at 20:00, hosted at Labour party headquarters in south London, with MPs able to join remotely to pose questions. If candidates secure enough backing from parliamentary colleagues, they must then obtain either the support of 5% of constituency parties or endorsements from three Labour‑affiliated organisations, including at least two unions, to proceed to the membership ballot.
Those who clear the party‑wide bar will face a vote by Labour members, with the result of the deputy leadership election due to be announced on 25 October. The outcome of the party ballot will determine the deputy party leader, but the government role of deputy prime minister remains an appointment made by the prime minister. David Lammy will continue as deputy prime minister unless the prime minister decides otherwise.
The contest was triggered when Angela Rayner resigned as deputy leader, deputy prime minister and housing secretary after acknowledging she had not paid sufficient tax on the purchase of a flat in Hove. The race to replace her reflects broader tensions within Labour between those closer to the leadership and figures on the party’s left, and it will test how MPs and members balance parliamentary allegiance with grassroots preferences as the timetable moves toward the member vote.