Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell has warned that there is no quick fix for the party's problems or the major challenges facing the country, as MPs prepare for significant losses in the upcoming local elections. In an interview with the Guardian on the campaign trail in Leeds, Powell acknowledged the widespread anger and despondency among Labour MPs following the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal, but expressed confidence that Prime Minister Keir Starmer would avoid repeating such a mistake.
No Magic Bullet
Powell, who had called for Starmer to adopt a more explicitly progressive agenda during her deputy leadership campaign, refused to engage in speculation about leadership changes. The party faces the potential loss of over 75% of the council seats it is defending, as well as losing control in Wales and failing to outperform the SNP in Scotland.
“There’s no magic bullet here for us. We are in a difficult world,” she stated. “I strongly believe that we’ve got the right agenda to start turning that around. To give people hope, an opportunity and see the change in their communities.”
When asked if Starmer was the right leader to deliver this change, Powell deflected: “I’m not going to get into that. I think there’s no one change that [will affect] all of these situations. We’ve still got to tackle these big issues, and we’ve got to do it in the right way with the right values. Having some side order conversation about personnel and people, I think misses the point.”
High Stakes for the Country
Powell, a close ally of Andy Burnham who is reportedly preparing a leadership bid, emphasized the high stakes for the nation. “If we get that wrong, then Nigel Farage is walking into Downing Street. We can all pretend that one switch over here would magically transform that. I just don’t believe that,” she said.
She expressed hope that the country could move on from the Mandelson scandal, which consumed much of last week as she called MPs to shore up support for Starmer ahead of a privileges committee vote. “There’s a huge amount of anger, sort of despondency, I think. Every day that we’re still on the fallout from the Mandelson appointment is a day we’re not talking to our communities and our voters about what all our MPs and councillors want us to be talking about,” she noted.
Personal Views on Mandelson
Powell revealed her long-standing distrust of the former US ambassador, who was dismissed after new details emerged about his friendship with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “I don’t like the way he operates, it’s always all about Peter, and I don’t trust his judgment either. That’s a view I’ve long held. Not everybody held that view. He’s not someone I would have even countenanced personally, but, that’s mine and his history,” she said.
However, she believes that Number 10 has changed since the departure of several influential aides involved in Mandelson’s appointment. “Prime ministers do make hundreds of decisions. And they don’t get them all right. This one Keir got wrong … It does speak to an era, some people call it ‘the boys club’, but a culture there in Downing Street, in our politics. There has been quite a big move away from that and a recognition that the government was needing more differing views and opinions. Even in exactly the same circumstances. I don’t think that same decision would be made now.”
Rejecting Reshuffle Talk
Starmer is believed to have rejected a wider reshuffle after the May elections as a way to consolidate his position by bringing soft-left figures like Powell and former deputy leader Angela Rayner back into the full cabinet. However, Powell expressed scepticism about reshuffles. “I’m personally quite sceptical about reshuffles as a device. We need to be governing for the whole country. We need to be governing as one Labour party, bringing together all the different groups and factions in the Labour party. But we also need to have a much stronger sense of politics. I’ve chosen to do this job entirely politically. I think I’ve made actually more impact doing it that way.”
Optimism on the Doorstep
Powell remained cautiously optimistic that the party could outperform polls, noting that Mandelson was not the main issue voters raised. “I think we have the best ground campaign by a mile in this country. There’s a lot at stake. I’m not really in the expectation management business. But what I think people find is that on the actual doorsteps, there are different conversations to be had. There’s a lot of voters still quite unsure, especially in more Green-facing areas. I think it’s very soft. All our amazing members and activists – they’re very motivated to have those conversations.”
