"When Lucy Powell got a phone call from a withheld number in her constituency office in Manchester on the day Angela Rayner resigned, Powell told her staff: This is me getting the sack. Never would the former Commons leader have believed less than two months later that she might be on the brink of returning as Labour's deputy leader. Her rival, Bridget Phillipson, also never expected to be in this position."
"Hurt by some of the internal briefing against her position as education secretary, she debated for more than a day whether to join the race at all. Being cast as the favoured candidate has not been comfortable. Nevertheless, the outcome is likely to have profound consequences. The result obviously matters, and the centre know it, a Labour source said. Why else would they have gone to bat so hard for their candidate? It is hard to imagine that any newfound unity will follow the result."
"Over the weekend Powell was described as the Momentum candidate and Phillipson gave an interview saying she would cost the party the election. People keep saying the gloves are off there is only one candidate with the gloves off and it's not Lucy, one MP said. Another said: It's clear that when the leadership preach unity they only mean one thing avoid any criticism or debate even when we're making serious mistakes."
Lucy Powell initially feared she had been sacked when Angela Rayner resigned but now faces the prospect of returning as Labour deputy leader. Bridget Phillipson hesitated to enter the race after internal briefing against her role as education secretary and is seen as the preferred candidate of No 10 and centrist figures. The contest has sharpened factional tensions, with Powell portrayed by some as an outcast and described as the Momentum candidate. Supporters fear she could be sidelined if she wins. Campaigners and MPs warn the result is unlikely to restore party unity.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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