LabourHome Political Correspondent Sunday, 20 September 2025
In a direct appeal to Labour members, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has called for party unity to “deliver real change and win a second Labour term” as the race to replace Angela Rayner as deputy leader intensifies. The email, sent to supporters including CLP activists, comes at a pivotal moment in the contest, with nominations from constituency parties now almost evenly split between Phillipson and her sole remaining rival, Lucy Powell.
Phillipson’s message, obtained by LabourHome, paints a personal narrative of upward mobility under Labour governments, from a “single parent family on a tough street of council houses” to Cabinet minister. She highlights recent achievements like free breakfast clubs, the revival of Sure Start centres, and expanded free school meals for 500,000 more children—policies she frames as “change that people can feel every day” and “true to Labour values.”
“We need to unite the party to deliver real change,” Phillipson writes, positioning herself as a “strong campaigning Deputy Leader” who can build on Rayner’s legacy and ensure “your voice is heard.” She pledges to defeat Reform UK’s Nigel Farage in the North East and beyond, by staying “true to Labour values” across “all our regions and nations, towns and cities, countryside and coastlines.” The email ends with an optimistic rallying cry: “It’s time to make you feel proud knocking on doors to tell voters of the difference a Labour government is making. It’s time to unite our party to deliver change for our country. We can only do this together.”
The contest, triggered by Rayner’s resignation on 5 September, has whittled down to a two-horse race after other hopefuls, including Emily Thornberry and Liam Byrne, withdrew last week. Both candidates cleared the 80-MP threshold earlier this month, but the battle now hinges on support from the party’s 350-plus CLPs and 18 affiliated trade unions, with voting set to open in October ahead of a hustings at Labour conference in Liverpool.
As of 5pm yesterday, official Labour Party figures show a razor-thin margin in CLP nominations: Phillipson with 31, including recent additions like Sunderland Central, Sutton Coldfield, and Waveney Valley; Powell with 30, bolstered by wins in Sheffield Hallam, Winchester, and Wolverhampton West. The surge in support reflects a fiercely contested grassroots campaign, with Powell’s team claiming an early lead in trackers earlier this week—though Phillipson’s backers point to her stronger union backing as a counterweight. Nominations opened on 13 September, and with many CLPs still to vote, the race remains too close to call.
Trade unions, which hold around a third of the electoral college vote, have tilted decisively towards Phillipson so far. She has secured endorsements from Usdaw (the shop workers’ union), Community (steel and manufacturing), and the National Union of Mineworkers—key affiliates representing hundreds of thousands of members. Powell, the former Commons Leader and Manchester Central MP, has yet to win any union nominations, though major players like Unison and GMB are expected to decide imminently.
Endorsements from the party’s top tier also favour Phillipson, who boasts support from six senior Cabinet ministers, including Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, Scotland Secretary Douglas Alexander, and Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds. She has also locked in backing from four regional mayors, such as West Midlands’ Richard Parker and North East’s Kim McGuinness. Powell counters with high-profile allies like Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, plus Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham—a nod to her northern roots and Commons experience. Her pitch emphasises being a “bridge” between party members, unions, and MPs, with a focus on full-time campaigning.
The email’s timing—sent amid a flurry of CLP votes—underscores Phillipson’s strategy to mobilise the membership base she knows best from her Durham roots and frontline election battles. Campaign sources say she has launched a “well-funded nationwide tour” targeting CLPs, starting in London and fanning out to regions. 12 Yet polls suggest Powell holds a slight edge among members, with one recent snapshot putting her 22 points ahead—a gap Phillipson’s team dismisses as early and volatile.
As Labour conference looms, the deputy race is being watched closely for signals on the party’s direction under Keir Starmer. With no left-wing candidate advancing—left-leaning hopefuls like Bell Ribeiro-Addy mustered just 24 MP nominations—the contest is framed as a battle between two Starmer loyalists: the policy delivery-focused Phillipson versus the procedural powerhouse Powell. 5 Victory for either could solidify the leadership’s centrist grip, but the tight margins hint at underlying tensions in a party still bedding in after July’s landslide.
Members have until early October to vote, with the winner announced shortly after. For now, Phillipson’s plea for unity resonates amid the horse-trading: in a divided opposition landscape, Labour’s ability to “deliver change,” as she puts it, may rest on who can best knit the party together.
