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Lucy Powell has said it is a ‘huge privilege’ to be elected as the Labour Party ’s Deputy leader. The Manchester Central MP defeated Education secretary Bridget Phillipson in a vote among party members, with the result announced this morning (October 25). The deputy leadership election comes after the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne , Angela Rayner, resigned following a tax scandal. Ms Powell received 87,407 votes from the Labour Party membership and affiliates while Ms Phillipson received 73,536 votes but the turnout was just 16.6%, reports the Mirror . Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE This resulted in Powell winning the contest with 54 per cent of the vote, with Ms Philipson taking 46 per cent of the vote. Manchester-born Ms Powell campaigned on a platform calling on Labour to change course. Powell paid tribute to her predecessor, saying hers are big shoes to fill and she will go on to do a lot more for the country. She also paid tribute to Ms Philipson, saying she is 'someone of huge talent, dedication and real Labour values'. In her speech, Powell spoke of taking the fight to Reform , saying that the country is ‘crying out’ for change. She focused on Labour’s need to hone in on their values, saying ‘we must give a stronger sense of our purpose’. It comes after Labour was beaten in the Sened by-election in Carephilly, with Plaid Cymru claiming the seat. Never miss a story with the MEN's daily Catch Up newsletter - get it in your inbox by signing up here It’s a huge privilege to be elected Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. Thank you so much. Shabana, Hollie and the Party Staff who have conducted this contest with integrity, thank you as well. Thank you to all of the party members and supporters who voted for me. I will work every day to repay your trust. I’d like to pay tribute to you Bridget. You are someone of huge talent, dedication and real Labour values, and I look forward to continuing to work with you as the excellent Education Secretary that you are. I’d also like to pay tribute to my friend Angela Rayner , who has done so much for this party and our country and I know she will do a lot more in the future as well. She is known for her shoes and she leaves big ones for me to fill today! Keir, as you set out in your conference speech a few weeks ago, we are now in the fight of our lives. And we really are. Not for ourselves and our fortunes, but for the future of the country and democracy. Division and hate are on the rise. Discontent and disillusionment widespread. The desire for change, impatient and palpable. People are looking around, looking elsewhere for the answers. We, as the Labour Party, as the Party of Government, have to step forward and take this on. We have this one big chance to show that progressive, mainstream politics really can change people’s lives for the better. After all, that’s the belief why most of us joined the Labour Party in the first place. And the stakes really are that. Keir, I’m here to help you with that fight as your Deputy leader. We have to offer hope, to offer the big change the country is crying out for. We must give a stronger sense of our purpose, whose side we are on and of our Labour values and beliefs. That’s what I’ve heard loudly and clearly around the country these last few weeks. As Deputy, my job will be to bring those voices to the heart of our Party. Because whilst we are doing many good things, and we have just heard some of them now, people feel that this government is not being bold enough in delivering the kind of change we promised. I’ll be the champion of our Labour values and boldness in everything we do. I know that as you Keir, as our Leader, want that too. I’ll be your ally in that fight. It starts with us wrestling back the political megaphone and setting the agenda more strongly. Let’s be honest we’ve let Farage and his ilk run away with it. He wants to blame immigration for all the country's problems. We reject that. Our diagnosis is different. That for too long the country and the economy has worked in the interests of the few, not the many. That trickle down economics hasn’t worked. Life has just got harder and harder, less and less secure - in work, in housing, in making ends meet. We say that the deep-seated inequalities that have widened, in wealth, in regions, in class, in health, need fundamentally redressing. That’s what we are about and that’s what we’re trying to fix. That’s how we will re-unite our voter coalition and re-unite the country. I’m here to help make that the story of this Labour Government. That’s what Labour governments do, and have always done. Our story began in my home city of Manchester. Workers joined together to demand better pay and conditions, to have a say in how the country was run, solidarity building a lasting movement. My politics have always been shaped by being a proud Mancunian, and being Labour through and through. I stand here now as a Deputy Leader steeped in those traditions. Proud of those things that Labour governments have achieved: the NHS , the national minimum wage, council housing, the Equal Pay Act, devolution to Scotland and Wales , Civil Partnerships, the climate change act, Sure Start and much more. Our movement has always been our strength. Through our members and affiliates we are connected to our communities, workplaces, to the national conversations. I’ve met so many fantastic people in this campaign - decent, moderate, Labour people. We’re joined together by our values and our experiences. All want us to succeed, but we need to step up. They want to see our values in what we are doing. They don’t feel part of the conversation, or part of a movement right now. We have to change that. Our members and elected representatives are not our weakness, they’re our key asset - delivering change on the ground. Unity and loyalty comes from collective purpose, not from command and control. Debating, listening and hearing is not dissent, it’s our strength. As your Deputy, my commitment is to change the culture to get this right. We can’t waste a moment can we? With these hugely important elections across England, in Scotland and Wales next year. The result this week shows us what task we face. We won’t win by trying to out Reform, Reform, but by building a broad, progressive consensus. I’ll work day in day out, from day one, to help us with that fight. Let me end with this: At the election 16 months ago the British people voted for change. I am here to do everything I can to make that change a reality. I am here to help change Britain for the better. And to serve our country and our part and to serve you. Thank you.
