Labour deputy leader calls for progressive alliance to reunite ahead of next election

Labour must reunite voters across the progressive centre-left if it is to benefit from divisions on the right and win the next election, deputy leader Lucy Powell has said. In an interview with The Guardian, she argued that the party had a second chance to rebuild its political appeal under Andy Burnham. Ms Powell said Labour had previously become too technical and pessimistic and needed to communicate its purpose and values more clearly.

She said progressive voters had moved to Reform UK, the Greens, the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru, while some had lost faith in established parties. She argued that many voters opposed the divisive politics associated with Reform but had not all transferred that preference to Labour. The party’s task, she said, was to reunite that coalition and show that it could lead progressive change.

Ms Powell will use her role as education secretary to announce an expansion of anti-harassment work in schools. She said schools should embed healthy relationships and belonging across school life, rather than relying only on relationships, sex and health education lessons. The programme is expected to address misogyny, deepfakes, image-based abuse and online harassment.

Ms Powell said strengthened classroom teaching would not be sufficient without a wider cultural shift within schools. She also said Labour should speak more confidently about workers’ rights and free childcare. While the party remains committed to its manifesto, she said voters wanted change and Labour needed to make a stronger case for the choices it was making.

Ms Powell rejected the idea that Labour could rely only on improved poll ratings. She pointed to recent electoral results as evidence that parties win when they unite their supporters, and said Labour needed to demonstrate that it could recover voters from other progressive parties while opposing right-wing politics.