2025 Labour Party deputy leadership election

← 2020 5 September – 25 October 2025 (2025-09-05 –2025-10-25)
Turnout	16.6%
Candidate Lucy Powell Bridget Phillipson Popular vote 87,407 73,536 Percentage 54.3% 45.7%
Deputy Leader before election Vacant[note 1] Elected Deputy Leader Lucy Powell

The2025 Labour Party deputy leadership election was triggered on 5 September 2025 by theresignation ofAngela Rayner asdeputy leader of the Labour Party. It was the first deputy leadership election held byLabour in government since the2007 deputy leadership election.

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]

The2020 deputy leadership election resulted in the election ofsoft left candidateAngela Rayner asdeputy leader of the Labour Party, serving under Labour leaderKeir Starmer. Following Labour's victory in the2024 general election, Rayner served as Starmer'sdeputy prime minister andhousing secretary until 5 September 2025, when sheresigned after underpayingstamp 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 theLabour Party Constitution.^[3][5][6] It was the first deputy leadership election held by Labour in government since the2007 deputy leadership election.

The timeline of the campaign was decided by theNational 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 nextLabour 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.^[11]

Mayor of Greater ManchesterAndy Burnham, who was unable to contest the election as he was not anMP, endorsed the prospective campaigns of eitherLouise Haigh orLucy Powell, both of whom were former cabinet ministers in the Starmer ministry.^[15]Jess Phillips was reportedly supported by a group of MPs prior to her declining to run.^[15]

Former deputy leaderHarriet Harman said that the next deputy should be a woman.^[16]

Whilst Starmer did not publicly endorse any candidate, it was widely understood that Phillipson was his preferred candidate.^[17]

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.^[18] 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.^[19] Phillipson's team claimed to have passed the 80 MP threshold by 16:00 (BST) on 10 September.^[20]

According toGeorge Eaton, writing inThe New Statesman, Phillipson was seen as the preferred candidate of Number 10,^[21] and she was supported by many pro-leadership MPs and Ministers.^[22] Powell's most senior nominators, according to her campaign website, wereEd Miliband,Louise Haigh,Lisa Nandy andStephen Kinnock.^[23]

Phillipson was regarded as having "solidright-of-centre backing".^[24]

Following changes to the Labour Party's constitution in 2021, candidates for the deputy leadership were required to be a sitting MP.^[25] They had to also receive nominations from 20% of theParliamentary Labour Party (80 MPs as of September 2025) and either 5% (33) ofConstituency Labour Parties or three organisations affiliated to the Labour Party, including at least twoaffiliated trade unions, to qualify for the ballot.^[26][8]

Neither of the final two candidates are regarded as left-wing.^[24]

Candidate	Political office(s)	MP Nominations[27]	Campaign website
Bridget Phillipson	Secretary of State for Education(2024–) Minister for Women and Equalities(2024–) MP forHoughton and Sunderland South(2010–)	175 / 399	www.backbridget.com (Archived)
Lucy Powell	FormerLeader of the House of Commons(2024–2025) MP forManchester Central(2012–)	117 / 399	www.lucyfordeputy.co.uk (Archived)

Candidate	Political office(s)	MP Nominations[27]	Ref
Bell Ribeiro-Addy	MP forClapham and Brixton Hill(2019–)	24 / 399	[28][29]

Candidate	Political office(s)	Withdrew	Ref.
Alison McGovern	Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution(2025–) MP forBirkenhead(2024–)	10 September 2025 (endorsed Phillipson)	[30]
Emily Thornberry	Chair of theForeign Affairs Select Committee(2024–) MP forIslington South and Finsbury(2005–)	11 September 2025	[31]
Paula Barker	MP forLiverpool Wavertree(2019–)	11 September 2025 (endorsed Powell)	[31]

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

• Rosena Allin-Khan, MP forTooting and candidate in the2020 deputy leadership election^[32](nominated Powell)^[23]
• Richard Burgon, MP forLeeds East and candidate in the2020 deputy leadership election(endorsed Ribeiro-Addy)^{[citation needed]}
• Al Carns,Minister of State for the Armed Forces^[33]
• Dawn Butler, MP forBrent East and candidate in the2020 deputy leadership election^[34]
• Louise Haigh, formerSecretary of State for Transport^[35](nominated Powell)^[23]
• Shabana Mahmood,Home Secretary^[36]
• Lisa Nandy,Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and candidate in the2020 leadership election^[37]
• Sarah Owen, MP forLuton North^[38](nominated Powell)^[23]
• Jess Phillips,Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls and candidate in the2020 leadership election^[39]
• Wes Streeting,Secretary of State for Health and Social Care^[40]
• Anna Turley,Labour Party chair^[25]

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% ofCLPs or 3 affiliated organisations that represent at least 5% of the affiliate membership (including 2 trade unions).^[41][42]

Both candidates received enough nominations to make it on to the membership ballot^[43]

Powell was endorsed by the soft-leftTribune Group of MPs,^[21] along with the left-wingMomentum recommending a tactical vote for Powell.^[46] Phillipson had the backing of groups representing the right wing of the party, includingLabour First,Labour to Win andProgressive Britain.^[47]

Among thecombined authority mayors,Claire Ward,^[48]Kim McGuinness^[48] andRichard Parker^[49] supported Phillipson, whileAndy Burnham supported Powell.^[48]

TheRed Wall Caucus supported a northern woman without making a specific endorsement for either of the two leading candidates.^[50] Powell also received the endorsement of theCo-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".^[51]

Phillipson vs Powell

Multiple candidates

The results were announced on 25 October 2025 by the Chair of theNational Executive CommitteeShabana Mahmood to a small audience, which could be watched live onYouTube. 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.^[52][53]

Lucy Powell was elected deputy leader with 87,407 votes (54.3%), with Bridget Phillipson receiving 73,536 votes (45.7%).^[52][53]

• 1981 Labour Party deputy leadership election
• 2007 Labour Party deputy leadership election
• 2025 British cabinet reshuffle

• 2025 elections in the United Kingdom
• 2025 political party leadership elections
• September 2025 in the United Kingdom
• October 2025 in the United Kingdom
• Labour Party (UK) leadership elections
• Premiership of Keir Starmer
• Angela Rayner

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