Labour's New Deputy Leader to Be Declared Today
Labour is poised to declare its new deputy chief today, with polls pointing to the Manchester Central MP in front of the education secretary as voting ended on Thursday.
The Day's Political Agenda
Below is the politics timeline for today, based on the PA news agency:
- 10:00 AM: The party's deputy chief will be announced in London. Speeches are anticipated following the announcement from the victor and the PM.
- 1:00 PM: Demonstrators from rival factions are expected to descend on separate areas of London after authorities banned Ukip supporters from gathering in Whitechapel due to concerns of serious disorder.
- Today: Counting starts to determine the new head of state of Ireland.
Meanwhile, the Epping Forest MP Conservative MP Neil Hudson is on the media interviews for the Tory party.
Election Highlights and Candidate Stances
Throughout the election race, Powell often mentioned errors made by the party on issues such as the winter fuel allowance. In a final message to supporters, she seemed to question a top-down culture within government, arguing that blindly following along was a failure of responsibility.
Should Powell wins, the outcome is likely to be seen as a criticism to Keir Starmer's governance from party members.
Keir Starmer has already endured a challenging week, dominated by a dispute over the grooming gangs inquiry and a loss in the Senedd byelection in Caerphilly.
Labour’s struggles in the polls have sparked questions among backbenchers about Starmer’s leadership.
Powell has emphasized that she aims to help Keir and our government to succeed but also informed supporters the party needs to adapt how it functions to improve the situation.
In contrast, Phillipson, seen as the prime minister's preferred candidate, has highlighted unity, warning that choosing her rival would result in party disputes and divisions that could lead the Labour back to being in opposition.
Additional Political Headlines
- Cutting the annual cash Isa allowance may not encourage savers to switch to shares but could push up mortgage costs, MPs have warned the finance minister.
- A heavy defeat for the Labour Party in the upcoming local elections could spell the end of Starmer's leadership, MPs have stated, after the party experienced a significant loss in its Welsh heartland.
- Rishi Sunak was the sole MP provided a testimonial by the security official implicated in a dispute over the collapse of a case against two British men accused of spying for China.
The outcome of the deputy leadership election is expected to be declared at 10am BST.