Lucy Powell announced as Labour's new Deputy Leader
Lucy Powell has been announced as Labour's new Deputy Leader.
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She won the election after a campaign based on a call for the party to change course.
The election result could spell trouble for Sir Keir Starmer as Ms Powell will be free to speak out against his Government's policies from the back benches rather than being bound by collective responsibility like her defeated deputy leadership rival, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.
Ms Powell was sacked from Sir Keir's Cabinet in September and has indicated she will refuse a return to a government role so she can speak more openly about the direction of the party in office.
She has insisted she wants to "help Keir and our Government to succeed" but the party "must change how we are doing things to turn things around".
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In a final message to supporters earlier this week she said Labour had 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".
The election comes after Angela Rayner resigned from the role last month after admitting she did not pay enough tax.
Lucy Powell received 87,407 votes from the Labour Party membership and affiliates. Bridget Phillipson received 73,536 votes.
The number of eligible voters was 970,642 and a total of 160,993 votes were cast, resulting in a turnout of 16.6%.
Ms Powell was first elected as the MP for Manchester Central in a by-election in 2012.
Her election as deputy leader marks the fourth time the Labour Party has elected a woman to this position, following Margaret Beckett, Harriet Harman, and Angela Rayner.
