2025 Labour Party deputy leadership election

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2025 Labour Party deputy leadership election
←  2020 5 September – 25 October 2025 (2025-09-05 – 2025-10-25)
Turnout16.6%
 
Official portrait of Lucy Powell MP crop 2, 2024.jpg
Bridget Phillipson Official Cabinet Portrait, July 2024 (cropped).jpg
Candidate Lucy Powell Bridget Phillipson
Popular vote87,40773,536
Percentage54.3%45.7%
Deputy Leader before election

Vacant [note 1]

Elected Deputy Leader

Lucy Powell

The 2025 Labour Party deputy leadership election was triggered on 5 September 2025 by the resignation of Angela Rayner as deputy leader of the Labour Party. It was the first deputy leadership election held by Labour in government since the 2007 deputy leadership election.

Contents

The results were announced on 25 October, and Lucy Powell was elected with 54.3% of the vote, saying: "We won't win by trying to out-Reform Reform, but by building a broad progressive consensus". [1] [2]

Background

The 2020 deputy leadership election resulted in the election of soft left candidate Angela Rayner as deputy leader of the Labour Party, serving under Labour leader Keir Starmer. Following Labour's victory in the 2024 general election, Rayner served as Starmer's deputy prime minister and housing secretary until 5 September 2025, when she resigned after underpaying stamp duty tax. [3] [4] Rayner also resigned as deputy leader of the Labour Party, triggering an internal leadership election to elect a new deputy leader, in line with the provisions of the Labour Party Constitution. [3] [5] [6] It was the first deputy leadership election held by Labour in government since the 2007 deputy leadership election.

The timeline of the campaign was decided by the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party (NEC) on 8 September. [5] [7] . The constitution of the party states that a deputy leadership election, if triggered while Labour is in government, must be held at the next Labour Party Conference, which was scheduled to take place from 28 September to 1 October 2025. [8] [9] As the election was triggered less than a month before the conference, the NEC delayed the election to a later date.

The contest was marked by ill-concealed acrimony, with Phillipson launching multiple attacks branding Powell as a return to the disunity and division, as well accusing her of having no clout. [10] [11] By contrast, Powell argued that she would be a full-time Deputy Leader, bringing the heart of the party to the head of government, and calling for the government to be bolder, rather than trying to out-Reform Reform. [12]

Timetable

Timetable for the 2025 Labour Party deputy leadership election [13] [14]
DateEvent
5 Sep Angela Rayner announces her resignation as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party after being found to have broken the ministerial code, triggering the election.
8 SepFreeze date for elector eligibility.
9 Sep Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) nominations open.
10 SepPLP candidate hustings are held.
11 SepPLP nominations close (17:00 BST).
12 SepDeadline for validly nominated candidates to consent to nomination and submit statements for circulation to Constitutency Labour Parties (CLPs) and affiliates (13:00).
13 SepConstituency Labour Party and affiliate nominations open.
27 SepClose of CLP and affiliate nominations; deadline to clear arrears to be issued a ballot.
1 OctHustings at conference. [15]
5 OctDeadline to resolve disputes as to voter eligibility.
8 OctBallots open.
22 OctLast date to reissue electronic ballots.
23 OctBallots close (12:00).
25 OctResults announced.

Campaign

Prior to candidate announcements

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, who was unable to contest the election as he was not an MP, endorsed the prospective campaigns of either Louise Haigh or Lucy Powell, both of whom were former cabinet ministers in the Starmer ministry. [16] Jess Phillips was reportedly supported by a group of MPs prior to her declining to run. [16]

Former deputy leader Harriet Harman said that the next deputy should be a woman. [17]

Whilst Starmer did not publicly endorse any candidate, it was widely understood that Phillipson was his preferred candidate. [18]

MP nomination stage

One Labour source suggested the race would come down to Powell against Phillipson, but other sources suggested the final ballot would be hard to predict, especially if candidates sought to avoid a contest among members. [19] In the evening of 9 September, Politico's Playbook newsletter suggested Phillipson was the early frontrunner and may hit the 80 required nominations by the end of the day. [20] Phillipson's team claimed to have passed the 80 MP threshold by 16:00 (BST) on 10 September. [21]

According to George Eaton, writing in The New Statesman , Phillipson was seen as the preferred candidate of Number 10, [22] and she was supported by many pro-leadership MPs and Ministers. [23] Powell's most senior nominators, according to her campaign website, were Ed Miliband, Louise Haigh, Lisa Nandy and Stephen Kinnock. [24]

Phillipson was regarded as having "solid right-of-centre backing". [25]

Candidates

Following changes to the Labour Party's constitution in 2021, candidates for the deputy leadership were required to be a sitting MP. [26] They had to also receive nominations from 20% of the Parliamentary Labour Party (80 MPs as of September 2025) and either 5% (33) of Constituency Labour Parties or three organisations affiliated to the Labour Party, including at least two affiliated trade unions, to qualify for the ballot. [27] [8]

Neither of the final two candidates are regarded as left-wing. [25]

Nominated by parliamentarians

CandidatePolitical office(s)MP Nominations [28] Campaign
website
Bridget Phillipson Official Cabinet Portrait, July 2024 (cropped) 2.jpg
Bridget Phillipson 		Secretary of State for Education (2024–)
Minister for Women and Equalities (2024–)
MP for Houghton and Sunderland South (2010–)		 www.backbridget.com
(Archived)
Lucy Powell Leader of the House (cropped) 2.jpg
Lucy Powell 		Former Leader of the House of Commons (2024–2025)
MP for Manchester Central (2012–)		 www.lucyfordeputy.co.uk
(Archived)

Failed to reach required number of nominations

CandidatePolitical office(s)MP Nominations [28] Ref
Official portrait of Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP crop 2.jpg
Bell Ribeiro-Addy 		MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill (2019–) [29] [30]

Withdrawn

CandidatePolitical office(s)WithdrewRef.
Official portrait of Alison McGovern MP crop 2.jpg
Alison McGovern 		Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution (2025–)
MP for Birkenhead (2024–)		10 September 2025
(endorsed Phillipson)		 [31]
Official portrait of Emily Thornberry MP crop 2, 2024.jpg
Emily Thornberry 		Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee (2024–)
MP for Islington South and Finsbury (2005–)		11 September 2025 [32]
Official portrait of Paula Barker MP crop 2, 2024.jpg
Paula Barker 		MP for Liverpool Wavertree (2019–)11 September 2025
(endorsed Powell)		 [32]

Declined

The following candidates were speculated as potential candidates but did not stand in the election:

Nominations and endorsements

After receiving the nominations of over 20% of the PLP (80 MPs), to reach the all members' ballot, both candidates require the support of either 5% of CLPs or 3 affiliated organisations that represent at least 5% of the affiliate membership (including 2 trade unions). [42] [43]

Both candidates received enough nominations to make it on to the membership ballot [44]

Bridget Phillipson

Bridget Phillipson
CLPs [44]
Trade Unions [45] [44]
Socialist Societies [46]

Lucy Powell

Lucy Powell
CLPs [44]
Trade Unions [44]
Socialist Societies [44]

Other endorsements

Powell was endorsed by the soft-left Tribune Group of MPs [22] , along with the left-wing Momentum recommending a tactical vote for Powell. [47] Phillipson had the backing of groups representing the right wing of the party, including Labour First, Labour to Win and Progressive Britain. [48]

Among the combined authority mayors, Claire Ward, [49] Kim McGuinness [49] and Richard Parker [50] supported Phillipson, while Andy Burnham supported Powell. [49]

The Red Wall Caucus supported a northern woman without making a specific endorsement for either of the two leading candidates. [51] Powell also received the endorsement of the Co-operative Party.

Labour's largest Union, Unite, refused to endorse either candidate with the Unite General Secretary condemning the lack of choice on offer, and calling for "huge investment into our crumbling infrastructure and our public services, a pay rise for British workers". [52]

Opinion polling

Labour Party members

Phillipson vs Powell
Date(s) conductedPollster/clientSample sizeFirst preference
Phillipson Powell NOTA/
Don't know		Lead
17–22 Oct 2025 Survation/ LabourList 1,00540%57%3%Powell +17
23–25 Sep 2025 Survation/ LabourList 1,25426%57%18%Powell +31
33%67%—Powell +34 [a]
19–25 Sep 2025 YouGov/ Sky News 70428%35%35%Powell +7
Sep 2025 Survation/ LabourList & Peston 1,11230%47%23%Powell +17
39%61%—Powell +22 [b]
Multiple candidates
Date(s) conductedPollster/clientSample sizeFirst preference
Allin-Khan Haigh Lammy Mahmood Owen Powell Ribeiro-Addy Streeting Thornberry NOTALead
5–8 Sep 2025 Find Out Now 5186%5%22%3%3%3%1%13%18%25%Lammy +4
5 Sep Angela Rayner resigns from her cabinet roles and as Deputy Labour Leader

Results

The results were announced on 25 October 2025 by the Chair of the National Executive Committee Shabana Mahmood to a small audience, which could be watched live on YouTube. There were 970,642 eligible voters who had at least six months membership and were not in payment arrears: party members, socialist society members and members of affiliated trade unions who paid the political levy. 160,943 eligible votes were cast (16.6%), with 50 spoiled ballots. Turnout of party members and others was not given separately as in previous elections; historically most of those eligible were affiliated trade union members with a low turnout. [53] [54]

Lucy Powell was elected deputy leader with 87,407 votes (54.3%), with Bridget Phillipson receiving 73,536 votes (45.7%). [53] [54]

CandidateVotes%
Lucy Powell 87,40754.3
Bridget Phillipson 73,53645.7

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "When those who are undecided were asked which candidate they leaned towards, Powell’s lead increased to a ratio of two to one over Phillipson, with 67% to 33% respectively."
  2. ↑ "When those undecided voters were asked to choose between the two, the result was 61 per cent Powell, 39 per cent Phillipson."
    1. ↑ Angela Rayner resigned as Deputy Leader on 5 September 2025.

    References

    1. ↑ Taylor, Harry (25 October 2025). "Lucy Powell wins Labour deputy leadership election". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 25 October 2025.
    2. ↑ Pickard, Jim (25 October 2025). "Keir Starmer's government has hit rock bottom, senior minister says". Financial Times . Archived from the original on 25 October 2025.
    3. 1 2 Lynch, David (5 September 2025). "Labour deputy leader election explained as Angela Rayner quits government". The Independent. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
    4. ↑ Scott, Geraldine (5 September 2025). "Who could replace Angela Rayner? The likely candidates". The Times. Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
    5. 1 2 Rayner, Gordon (5 September 2025). "Who could replace Rayner... and plunge Labour into civil war". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 September 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
    6. ↑ Jack, Lauren (5 September 2025). "How will Angela Rayner's replacement be decided? Here's how the election process works". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 10 September 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
    7. ↑ "Labour body meet to plan race to replace Angela Rayner as deputy". BBC News. 8 September 2025. Archived from the original on 8 September 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
    8. 1 2 Green, Daniel (5 September 2025). "Angela Rayner: How does Labour elect a new deputy leader of the party?". LabourList. Archived from the original on 5 September 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
    9. ↑ Caygill, Thomas (5 September 2025). "What will Angela Rayner's resignation mean for Keir Starmer's government? Expert Q&A". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 5 September 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
    10. ↑ Croft, Ethan (1 October 2025). "Phillipson riles Powell camp with "division and disunity" attack". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 1 October 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
    11. ↑ Green, Daniel (10 October 2025). "Phillipson hits out at Powell, warning against deputy leader 'with no clout'". LabourList. Archived from the original on 10 October 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
    12. ↑ Green, Daniel (10 October 2025). "Phillipson hits out at Powell, warning against deputy leader 'with no clout'". LabourList. Archived from the original on 10 October 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
    13. ↑ "Timetable for deputy leadership contest". The Guardian. 9 September 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
    14. ↑ O'Reilly, Luke (8 September 2025). "Labour deputy leader election process timetable and procedure revealed". LabourList. Archived from the original on 8 September 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
    15. ↑ Deputy Leadership Hustings 2025 on YouTube
    16. 1 2 Mason, Rowena; Adu, Aletha (7 September 2025). "Senior Labour figures tell Keir Starmer to stop making mistakes". The Guardian . Retrieved 7 September 2025.
    17. ↑ Penna, Dominic (8 September 2025). "Labour deputy leader must be a woman, says Baroness Harman". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 8 September 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
    18. ↑ Sparrow, Andrew (8 September 2025). "Starmer not expected to publicly endorse candidate in Labour's deputy leadership contest". The Guardian . Retrieved 8 September 2025.
    19. ↑ Schofield, Kevin Schofield (9 September 2025). "Bridget Phillipson Takes Early Lead In Six-Way Race To Be Labour Deputy Leader". HuffPost UK. Archived from the original on 9 September 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
    20. ↑ "London Playbook PM: Click it harder". Politico. 9 September 2025. Archived from the original on 9 September 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
    21. ↑ Diver, Tony (10 September 2025). "Bridget Phillipson passes Labour MP threshold in deputy leader race". www.telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 September 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
    22. 1 2 Eaton, George (10 September 2025). "Who is Labour's new Queen of the North?". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 10 September 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
    23. ↑ "Everything Everywhere All at Once". Politico. 10 September 2025. Archived from the original on 14 September 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
    24. 1 2 3 4 "Endorsements". Lucy Powell for Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. Archived from the original on 13 September 2025. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
    25. 1 2 "Labour deputy leadership race: what are the main factions and who will win?". The Independent. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
    26. 1 2 Rodgers, Sienna (7 September 2025). "Who Is Running In Labour's Deputy Leader Race". Politics Home. Archived from the original on 8 September 2025. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
    27. ↑ Hawksworth, Veronique; Lynch, David (5 September 2025). "Angela Rayner resignation - how will new deputy Labour leader be chosen and who could run". My London. Archived from the original on 19 September 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
    28. 1 2 "Deputy Leadership Election 2025 - PLP nominations". The Labour Party. Archived from the original on 9 September 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
    29. ↑ Phillips, Jacob (9 September 2025). "London MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy launches bid for deputy Labour leader". The Standard. Archived from the original on 9 September 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
    30. ↑ Brown, Faye (11 September 2025). "Final two candidates confirmed in Labour's deputy leadership race". Sky News. Archived from the original on 11 September 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
    31. ↑ "Housing minister Alison McGovern pulls out of Labour deputy leadership race". Sky News. 10 September 2025. Archived from the original on 10 September 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
    32. 1 2 Courea, Eleni (11 September 2025). "Emily Thornberry drops out of Labour deputy leadership race". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 11 September 2025.
    33. ↑ "Labour needs a new Deputy Leader. These are the runners and riders". Archived from the original on 9 September 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
    34. ↑ Sparrow, Andrew (9 September 2025). "Lucy Powell to stand for Labour deputy leadership after reshuffle sacking – UK politics live". the Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 9 September 2025.
    35. ↑ Wright, Oliver; Allegretti, Aubrey; Chappell, Peter (9 September 2025). "Bridget Phillipson and Emily Thornberry join Labour deputy race — as it happened". The Times. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
    36. ↑ Haigh, Louise (8 September 2025). "I'm not running for Labour deputy leader. I want the freedom to fight for an economic reset". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 9 September 2025.
    37. ↑ "Politics latest: Shabana Mahmood rules herself out of Labour deputy leadership race". Sky News. Archived from the original on 7 September 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
    38. ↑ Walker, Peter; Crerar, Pippa (8 September 2025). "Several senior female Labour MPs drop out of party deputy leader contention". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 9 September 2025.
    39. ↑ ""Labour must lead with values, not fear" - Sarah Owen MP explains why she won't be standing for Deputy Leader role". Luton Today. 9 September 2025. Archived from the original on 15 September 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
    40. ↑ Morgan, Emma (8 September 2025). "Labour MP Jess Phillips won't stand in deputy leadership race for personal reasons". The i Paper. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
    41. ↑ "Who could replace Angela Rayner as Labour deputy leader?". BBC News . 8 September 2025. Archived from the original on 9 September 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
    42. ↑ Burnell, Emma (17 September 2025). "Who are the Labour affiliates?". LabourList. Archived from the original on 17 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
    43. ↑ "The 2025 Labour Party deputy leader contest". Institute for Government. 10 September 2025. Archived from the original on 19 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
    44. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Deputy Leadership 2025 - CLP & Affiliate Nominations". The Labour Party. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
    45. ↑ Martin, Matilda (18 September 2025). "Phillipson vs Powell: The Running List Of Endorsements In Labour's Deputy Leadership Contest". Politics Home. Archived from the original on 19 September 2025. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
    46. ↑ "LHG Nominates Bridget Phillipson as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party – Labour Housing Group" . Retrieved 22 September 2025.
    47. ↑ "Labour Deputy Leadership Election 2025". Momentum. 7 October 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
    48. ↑ Burnell, Emma (13 September 2025). "What will members be considering as they vote for deputy leader?". LabourList. Archived from the original on 15 September 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
    49. 1 2 3 Crowther, Zoe (17 September 2025). "East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward Endorses Bridget Phillipson For Labour Deputy Leader". Politics Home. Archived from the original on 18 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
    50. ↑ Parker, Richard (15 September 2025). "West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker: 'I stand with Bridget'". LabourList. Archived from the original on 15 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
    51. ↑ "Red Wall Group Backs Northern Woman For Deputy Labour Leadership". Politics Home. 10 September 2025. Archived from the original on 10 September 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
    52. ↑ "Unite refuses to nominate any candidate in Labour deputy leadership election". Unite the Union. 25 September 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
    53. 1 2 "Labour Party Deputy Leadership Result Announcement". Labour Party. 22 October 2025. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
    54. 1 2 Moules, James (28 October 2025). "Deputy leadership election: Why did the turnout appear so low?". LabourList. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
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