Copyright dailyrecord
Lucy Powell has secured victory in Labour's deputy leadership election following a campaign centred on calls for the party to alter its direction. The outcome could create headaches for Sir Keir Starmer , as Ms Powell will now be able to voice criticism of his Government's policies from the back benches, unlike her vanquished rival Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who remains bound by collective responsibility. The Manchester Central MP was dismissed from Sir Keir's Cabinet last September and has suggested she will decline any offer to return to a governmental position, enabling her to speak more candidly about the party's trajectory whilst in office. Whilst she has maintained she wishes to "help Keir and our Government to succeed", she argues the party "must change how we are doing things to turn things around". In a closing appeal to backers earlier this week, she stated Labour needed to be "more in touch with our movement, and the communities and workplaces we represent, more principled and strategic, less tactical, and strongly guided by our values". Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
