Lucy Powell is the new Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, having secured 54% of the vote compared to Bridget Phillipson’s 46%. Out of the 970,642 eligible voters, composed of members with at least six months continuous membership and affiliated supporters, 16.6% cast a ballot in the election. Estimates suggest that 45% of members (117,000) and 6% of affiliated supporters (44,000) voted in the election. With many affiliated unions backing Phillipson’s campaign, our final poll of Labour members (not affiliated supporters) accurately showed the strength of support for Powell amongst the membership, with 58% compared to Phillipson’s 42%.

Amongst members, Powell came to be seen as the anti-Starmer candidate

Regardless of her own intentions, after being sacked from her position as leader of the House of Commons in September Powell became the anti-Starmer, more left-wing choice between the two candidates in the eyes of the party membership. Indeed, amongst those who thought the Labour Party was heading in the wrong direction (55%), 81% backed Powell, with only 19% opting for Phillipson. Conversely, of those who saw the party as heading in the right direction (38%), just 28% said they had voted or would vote for Powell, whilst 72% supported Phillipson. Additionally, Powell’s base had a -49% favourability rating of Starmer as Leader of the Labour Party, compared to Phillipson’s supporters on +55%. Amongst the disenchanted, therefore, Powell became the candidate through which they could express their discontent – fuelling her victory.

In their own words, members expressed their frustrations clearly. Respondents in our final deputy leader poll noted how Powell was “not endorsed by the leadership” and thus could be seen as “a protest against the current direction of travel.”  The fact she was sacked and also perceived as “more left” motivated some members to head in her direction. These voters do not necessarily have much enthusiasm for Powell, and were instead motivated by their opposition to the current direction of the party, with one respondent stating:

Beyond being simply the anti-Starmer/government candidate, as well as being outside of the cabinet, others sincerely supported Powell due to her perceived values and ability to unite the party. One member claimed she “epitomises the Labour Party” and was a “down to earth socialist” who could provide “a powerful, sensible voice.” 

At a time when Labour are behind in the polls, she was seen by some as the candidate most likely “to bring together the whole of the Labour movement,” and enact the necessary changes to “win elections and defeat the extremes of the right.” Elsewhere, she was deemed “trustworthy, experienced, talented, committed to the party” and understanding of members. At the core of support for Powell is a simple desire for the membership to be listened to and to have a greater say in the running of the Labour Party, as clearly expressed by one respondent:

Was Phillipson the victim of a poisoned chalice?

Phillipson’s supporters explained their voting intention with reference to her competence, loyalty to the leadership, and track record as Education Secretary. Whilst some were certainly motivated by opposition to Powell – one member pithily stated “competent, not Lucy Powell” – overall her supporters generally felt like they were voting for something. Some suggest that they are similarly supportive of the change that Powell’s backers sought, but emphasise the need to do this without being too critical of the leadership:

Others showed the same desire to see the membership better represented, but saw Phillipson as the candidate to achieve this without hindering the party in the process:

Many thus shared the concerns of Powell’s supporters. However, they decided that the party’s woes were best solved by a candidate who would push for change but was also “not going to rock the boat.” If Phillipson’s base were voting against anything, it was the fear of Powell as deputy leader creating division that could be “portrayed as a disruptive force and disruptive element by the national and predominantly right wing press,” at a time when the party needs “unity and common purpose.” 

Overall, the members backing Phillipson are generally doing so for positive, rather than negative, reasons. Given the overwhelming discontent expressed by Powell’s base, it would seem that the decision to turn against Phillipson was not motivated by the perceived merits or drawbacks of either candidate. Rather, the Education Secretary was a victim of her closer association with Keir Starmer, the government, and the Labour Party leadership.

For members, this was their chance to be heard

Given the dramatic circumstances that led to the deputy leadership election during conference season, along with growing discontent amongst the Labour membership since the party came to office, one could interpret these results as a referendum on the leadership. Members have sent a clear message: they are unhappy with the current direction of travel. 

With Powell elected on a wave of oppositional sentiment, she has her work cut out for her to convince members she can be their effective champion from outside the cabinet. They’ve sent a signal of their discontent, and it remains to be seen whether Powell can turn this into real influence on Starmer, the leadership, and the direction of the party as a whole.

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Get the data

Survation conducted a poll of 1,005 Labour party members via LabourList’s database on their voting intentions for Deputy Leader between the 17th – 22nd October 2025. Tables are available here.

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