'Sexist': Powell criticises claim she is a proxy for a Burnham challenge

Lucy Powell has hit out at the “sexist” framing of her deputy Labour leadership campaign as some claim she and her rival, Bridget Phillipson, are standing as proxies for two men.

- Aletha Adu

With the contest to replace Angela Rayner under way this week, the pair have been forced to contend with political rumours that they are stalking horses for a future leadership battle. It has been heavily speculated that Andy Burnham, an ally of Powell, is among the senior Labour figures considering a leadership challenge if the prime minister’s turmoil continues. Phillipson, meanwhile, is seen as a Keir Starmer loyalist.