POWELL TO THE PEOPLE

NEW LABOUR DEPUTY VOWS TO WIN BACK VOTES

- BY ALEXANDER BROWN Assistant Political Editor

LABOUR can turn their fortunes around by next May's elections, the party's new deputy leader claims.

Lucy Powell - sacked from the Cabinet last month - beat Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson by taking 54% of the vote compared to 46%.

After yesterday's result, she called for the party to offer the public hope, and pledged to fight for every seat.

In a week that saw Labour pushed into third place with just 11% of the vote in the Caerphilly Senedd by-election, Ms Powell insisted there was still time for a comeback before next May's elections in London, Wales and Scotland.

She vowed to go on the campaign trail across the UK "as soon as possible" and reinvigorate members.

Ms Powell told us: "I am not going to write off any seat or any election next May.

"They're really important elections.

"These are Labour elected representatives who have been delivering real change in their communities and I want to get them reelected.

"That is what I'm going to be focused on from day one, and that's why I've been out in London today with a lot of our councillors and council candidates."

Her words follow a bruising week for Labour which saw chaos in the grooming gangs inquiry and the return of a small boat migrant who was sent to France under the "one in, one out" deal.

On Thursday the party suffered its first parliamentary defeat in Caerphilly for over 100 years when they were crushed by Plaid Cymru and pushed into third place by Reform UK.