Phillipson and Powell lead race for Labour deputy leadership

Labour's deputy leadership contest is set to be a race between the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, and the ousted cabinet minister Lucy Powell, as three other candidates in the race struggled to make nominations.

- Jessica Elgot

Phillipson comfortably cleared the hurdle of 80 nominations last night with backing from 116 MPs, but Powell was not yet at the threshold with 77 nominations.

The three other candidates Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Paula Barker and Emily Thornberry all received support from 15 or fewer MPs, and the communities minister Alison McGovern pulled out of the race yesterday afternoon and endorsed Phillipson.

Several MPs said any race between Powell and Phillipson would be deeply uncomfortable for No 10. "It's a proxy war between Keir and Andy Burnham," said one MP, referring to Powell's close ties to the mayor of Greater Manchester, seen by many as a potential successor to Starmer.

The former Labour MP Tom Blenkinsop called it: "The first skirmish between Burnham and [Morgan] McSweeney," referring to Starmer's chief of staff. A source close to Powell said the briefings were "frankly sexist" and were "wrong and stupid".

MPs who attended a hustings hosted by the red wall group of MPs said Powell had won a significant number of them over in the room, many who had been expecting to back Phillipson. The soft-left Tribune group also voted to back Powell.

"She is definitely becoming the magnet for those of us who want a change," one backer said.