"You might think the last thing Labour needs now is this deputy leadership contest, the unavoidable fallout from Angela Rayner's sad plunge from grace. But these two combatants, Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell, may ignite exactly the rethinking Labour needs. Like it or not, whoever the contestants were, this would be framed as establishment v insurgent, or as proxies for Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham. It's for Phillipson and Powell to strike out and show they are their own people."
"Any party would be in a state of ferment after falling further than any previous government in its it first 14 months, with inflation stubbornly high and growth flatlining. It reels from the shock of scoring 20% in opinion polls while Nigel Farage's Reform UK rides high on 31%. Large numbers of Labour MPs on thin majorities are projected to lose their seats at the next general election."
Labour faces a deputy leadership contest between Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell that could force necessary strategic reassessment. The contest will be cast as establishment versus insurgent, though both candidates defy simple labels. The party is suffering steep poll declines, stagnant growth, high inflation, and the rise of Reform UK, placing many Labour MPs at risk in the next general election. The potential consequence of failure includes empowering a demagogic, authoritarian threat with domestic and international dangers. A clear sense of direction and a coherent narrative linking policies such as nationalisation, council-controlled buses, green investment, renters' and workers' rights, and falling waiting lists are currently absent.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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