In a ballot of Momentum members, 74% have voted to recommend a tactical vote for Lucy Powell to be Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.

While members were denied the opportunity to vote for a socialist candidate in Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who fought a proudly principled campaign earlier in the process, Momentum recognises that a victory for Powell is the better of the outcomes on offer.

Momentum Co-Chair Sasha Das Gupta said: “We recognise that a victory for Powell is the best option to show the breadth of concern in the Labour Party and labour movement over the direction our Government is taking. Therefore, while we are not making a full endorsement, we strongly recommend a tactical vote for Powell.”

The Campaign for Labour Party Democracy has also decided to advocate a vote for Lucy Powell, arguing that a victory for her would be seen as a signal that Party members want the Government to change what they are doing. Many activists also hope that Powell would take steps to challenge the authoritarian regime in the Party which has seen the whip withdrawn from MPs who voted against the two-child benefit cap and many councillors barred from running again for the Party on a factional basis.

The new centre-left group Mainstream also balloted its membership on the Deputy Leadership contest. Over 82% of respondents supported backing Lucy Powell.

The Deputy Leadership ballot opens on Wednesday 8th October. It closes on Thursday 23rd October. The votes in this election are cast in a single section, by Party members and affiliated supporters. The result will be announced on Saturday 25th October. For the Labour Party’s information on the Deputy Leadership election visit here.

If you’re a Labour Party member or eligible trade union elector, please vote for Lucy Powell when ballots drop tomorrow.

Image: Lucy Powell MP. Source: https://members-api.parliament.uk/api/Members/4263/Portrait?cropType=ThreeFourGallery: https://members.parliament.uk/member/4263/portrait. Author: David Woolfall, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.