**Labour Voters Want New Deputy Leader To Focus On Fixing Public Services**
Labour voters want the party’s new deputy leader to prioritize fixing public services above all else, according to polling shared with PoliticsHome.
The finding comes as Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and former House of Commons leader Lucy Powell go head-to-head to succeed Angela Rayner as Labour’s deputy leader.
Earlier this month, Rayner resigned as deputy leader, as well as deputy prime minister and housing secretary, after being found to have breached the ministerial code over unpaid stamp duty.
The poll, carried out online by the Good Growth Foundation think tank in the week leading up to the Labour Party conference— which commenced in Liverpool this weekend— shows that Labour voters want Phillipson and Powell to focus on “bread and butter” issues, according to think tank director Praful Nargrund.
When asked which attributes are most important for the new deputy leader to have, “prioritising fixing our public services” was the most popular response among those who voted Labour at last year’s general election, with 59 per cent ranking it in their top three.
“Expertise in the economy and money” was the second most popular attribute, with 46 per cent of 2024 Labour voters placing it in their top three.
Regarding which aspects of someone’s identity or background are most important for the deputy leader to represent, “someone who speaks authentically to my concerns” came out on top, with 44 per cent.
In the contest itself, Phillipson has secured more support from Labour MPs as well as backing from Labour’s biggest affiliated trade unions. However, Powell leads in local party nominations, receiving 286 nominations compared to Phillipson’s 165.
A Survation poll of Labour members conducted for LabourList on the eve of the party’s conference also showed Powell holding a 31 per cent lead over Phillipson among those likely to vote in the deputy leadership contest.
Powell was sacked by Keir Starmer as Commons leader during the September reshuffle, whereas Phillipson—a serving Cabinet minister—is seen as No 10’s preferred choice to succeed Rayner.
Writing for The House this weekend, Phillipson stressed the importance of party unity, warning that “divided parties don’t win elections” and that Labour cannot afford to “re-open old wounds.”
“We can’t fight Reform if we are fighting each other. We can’t fight poverty if we are fighting each other. We must unite to win the future,” she wrote.
In her own piece for The House, Powell emphasised that her status as a backbench Labour MP means she is better placed to criticise the Starmer government when it gets things wrong.
“I really want our Labour government to succeed, and sometimes that means speaking hard truths,” the Manchester MP wrote, adding that she “won’t be afraid to tell it like it is.”
The result of the contest will be determined by Labour members, who will cast their votes from Wednesday 8 October to Thursday 23 October. The winner will be announced on Saturday 25 October.
https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/labour-voters-want-deputy-leader-focus-on-public-services
