Why should you be Labour’s next deputy leader? Guardian readers quiz the candidates
The stage is set for a classic political showdown as Labour members prepare to choose between Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell for the party's deputy leadership, a contest that goes far beyond a simple personnel decision and strikes at the very heart of Labour's soul and its strategic direction for the next electoral cycle. This isn't just an internal party affair; it's a battle for narrative control, a test of whether the party will double down on its current centrist, cautious path under Keir Starmer or begin to cautiously re-embrace the more ambitious, transformative policies that animated its grassroots.Think of it as the political equivalent of a high-stakes campaign ad playing out in real-time, where every answer to a Guardian reader's question is a carefully crafted soundbite designed to appeal to a specific faction without alienating the broader electorate. On wealth taxes, Phillipson, often seen as the continuity candidate, has been characteristically measured, speaking of 'fairness' and 'progressive taxation' but stopping short of endorsing radical new levies, a calculated move to reassure the middle-ground voters Labour fought so hard to win back.Powell, by contrast, has shown a slightly bolder streak, hinting at a greater appetite for confronting entrenched wealth inequality, a nod to the party's left flank which feels its voice has been muted. Then there's the ever-present spectre of Brexit, the political fault line that Labour would rather forget but cannot escape.Both candidates, in a display of remarkable discipline, toe the official line of not re-joining the single market, yet their tonal differences are telling. Phillipson's language is one of pragmatic management, of making the best of a settled issue, while Powell's rhetoric occasionally flickers with a hint of regret, acknowledging the economic damage in a way that resonates with the party's overwhelmingly pro-EU membership.The climate crisis presents another fascinating strategic divide. Powell has framed it as the defining mission of the age, connecting it directly to job creation and industrial strategy, a classic 'green new deal' pitch that energizes the base.Phillipson, ever the pragmatist, focuses on energy security and household bills, framing environmental action through the lens of cost-of-living concerns that dominate swing voter priorities. Perhaps the most revealing exchanges come on the threat of the far right.Here, the campaign-volunteer mindset is most apparent: this is about defining the enemy and mobilizing your own side. Both condemn the politics of hate in no uncertain terms, but their approaches diverge.Powell's critique is broader, linking the rise of extremism to economic despair and social fragmentation. Phillipson’s is more targeted, framing it as a direct challenge to British values and community cohesion, a message tested for focus groups.The deputy leadership race, often a sideshow, is this time a crucial barometer. It’s a proxy war over policy, tone, and future leadership.A win for Phillipson signals a party content to consolidate, to avoid rocking the boat. A win for Powell, even by a narrow margin, could be interpreted as a quiet mandate for a slightly more daring, more traditionally Labour agenda bubbling beneath the surface of Starmer's project. The members are not just choosing a deputy; they are placing a bet on the party's nerve.
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