Labour deputy leadership hopeful Lucy Powell vows to 'bridge' divided party
The race to replace Rayner is heating up, with almost a third of party members still undecided
The race to replace Angela Rayner as Labour’s deputy leader remains wide open, as almost a third of party members still undecided.
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Lucy Powell is only narrowly ahead of Bridget Phillipson in the deputy leadership contest, YouGov polling shows.
Ms Phillipson, the education secretary, and Ms Powell, the former Commons leader, are both well-regarded amoung the Labour membership.
Polling puts Powell on 35% of votes and Ms Phillipson on 28%, but with 30% undecided the result is too close to call.
The tone of the race has remained civil, with 84% of Ms Phillipson’s supporters say Ms Powell would also make a good deputy, while 71% of Ms Powell’s backers say the same of Ms Phillipson.
This comes as YouGov’s latest model suggests nearly two-thirds of Labour MPs would lose their seats if an election were held tomorrow.
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The deputy leadership election was triggered earlier this month by Ms Rayner’s resignation after she was found to have underpaid stamp duty, a decision backed by 60% of members.
Not everyone is satisfied with the contest. Unite, Labour’s biggest union affiliate, is backing neither candidate, saying the choice on offer is too narrow.
Around half of members (53%) believe the field is “about right,” but nearly three in ten (29%) feel it lacks diversity of views.
Ms Powell positioned herself as the unifying force capable of linking together the party's leadership, grassroots and regional heavyweights, insisting she can be "the bridge" between Sir Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham.
"I can be a bridge between Andy and Keir and whoever else as well," she told LBC's Lewis Goodall.
"And look, just like I'm going to be the bridge between the parliamentary Labour Party, the members, the unions and our communities. I'm going to be that bridge for the whole party and the leadership at the top."
Ms Powell's comments come amid rampant speculation Mr Burnham is plotting a return to Parliament and doubts over Sir Keir's ability to lead the party heading into the next general election, as right-wing Reform gain more ground according to polls.