Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell have emerged as the two remaining candidates in Labour’s deputy leadership contest after other hopefuls withdrew and the MP nomination deadline passed. The pair must now secure the required support from constituency parties and affiliated organisations to appear on the ballot for party members.
Labour published initial figures showing Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson had comfortably exceeded the 80 MP nominations threshold with 116 backers, while Powell — the former Commons leader who was sacked from Cabinet last week — reached the level needed to progress after late support. Official confirmation that both had achieved the required 80 nominations was expected on Thursday evening following the 5pm close of nominations.
The contest to replace Angela Rayner, who resigned after acknowledging an error concerning tax on a recent property purchase, has narrowed to what campaign observers described as a two-horse race. Phillipson is widely viewed inside the party as an ally of Sir Keir Starmer and has been described by some as Downing Street’s de facto candidate in the contest. Powell has drawn high-profile backing from Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor and long-time critic of the prime minister.
Several candidates left the race this week. Alison McGovern, a housing minister, was the first to withdraw on Wednesday and declared her support for Phillipson, saying the "momentum of this contest had shifted." Later on Thursday, senior MP Dame Emily Thornberry and Paula Barker pulled out; Barker said she would back Powell and urged the next deputy leader to "listen to the concerns of every section of our party." Dame Emily said it had been a "privilege" to compete.
Left-wing MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy confirmed she had failed to reach the 80 nominations needed to advance and criticised the selection process on social media. "I am disappointed that the full range of Labour members' views will not be represented on the ballot paper," she wrote, urging party leadership to "be more Labour" and warning that "we cannot out-Reform Reform."
Powell, who said she was "proud" to have served in government when announcing her candidacy, was dismissed from her Commons leader role in a reshuffle last week. She will now seek to win the deputy leadership with visible backing from Burnham, who has at times been positioned as an alternative centre-left figure within national political commentary.
Phillipson has campaigned on a platform of party unity, promising to "unite the party, take the fight to Reform, and deliver for our country." Neither Phillipson nor Powell has publicly challenged Sir Keir’s leadership since the contest opened, while other candidates had called for a change of direction before withdrawing or failing to qualify.
If both secure the remaining thresholds from constituency parties and affiliates over the weekend, their names will appear on the ballot to be sent to Labour members. The result will be decided by the party membership electorate, and the contest is set against the backdrop of Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool at the end of September, an event some party figures have described as a test of the prime minister’s authority.
Labour’s timetable requires the completion of the nomination and affiliate stages before voting by the wider membership can begin. Party officials said they would publish the official list of candidates and confirm their eligibility following the close of all nomination windows later this week.