Powell urges Labour to unite progressive voters — The Guardian

In the United Kingdom, Labour Party deputy leader Lucy Powell said the party must reunite the progressive electorate in order to capitalise on divisions among right-wing forces and win the next election. She said this in an interview with The Guardian.

According to Powell, Labour needs to regain the trust of voters who switched to the Green Party, the Scottish National Party or Plaid Cymru. She believes that some citizens do not support Reform UK’s policies and its rhetoric based on blaming others, but the progressive electorate remains fragmented.

Clear party values

Powell said that the Labour Party has begun attracting voters’ attention again and should not be ashamed to openly demonstrate its values. She noted that the party should speak more boldly about workers’ rights, free childcare hours and measures to reduce child poverty.

The politician said the party needed a change of leader to improve communication with voters and explain its goals more clearly. In her view, Labour had previously become too technocratic and pessimistic. She also said that Keir Starmer’s government lost sight of some political goals and meanings after coming to power.

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Powell added that under Andy Burnham, it would be clearer which values the Labour Party represents. She referred to election results and noted that the party that succeeds in uniting its own coalition of voters wins.

Measures in schools

Ahead of the party conference, Powell, who also serves as education secretary, is due to announce an expansion of measures against harassment in schools. According to her, educational institutions should integrate topics of healthy relationships and a sense of belonging to a community into all aspects of school life, rather than limiting them to relationship, sex and health education lessons.

She stressed that strengthened teaching of such subjects without a broader change in school culture would not change pupils’ attitudes toward misogyny. Powell also said she wants to use the ban on social media for people under the age of 16 as an opportunity to consider how to help young people develop real communities outside the internet.

Improving Labour poll ratings have prompted speculation about possible early elections, but Burnham said the next vote will take place in 2029.