Phillipson says she faced sexist briefings as Labour deputy leadership race intensifies

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has said she has been the victim of "sexist briefings" as she campaigns to be Labour's deputy leader, challenging former Commons Leader Lucy Powell. The comments come as Phillipson prepares to face Powell in a hustings at the party's autumn conference in Liverpool, with the contest unfolding amid broader questions about the party's internal culture and readiness for the next general elections in May.

In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, Phillipson described the ongoing "negativity" she has faced and acknowledged that she has been "underestimated most of my life." She said she had been the subject of speculation that she might be sacked, only to be kept in post by Labour leader Keir Starmer in his recent reshuffle. "Yeah completely, but you know that's life," she said when asked about whether she had experienced sexist briefings. She also noted the political environment around the top team and said that some people inside the party "feel left out."

Her remarks come against the backdrop of rumours that were circulating in recent weeks about cabinet positions and the suggestion that she was Downing Street's preferred candidate. Phillipson insisted there was "a certain irony" in such assertions, noting that she has "been underestimated" in the past and would "continue getting on and doing what I'm doing."

Phillipson argued that the party needs to do more to bring new colleagues into the fold. "We had lots of new colleagues who were elected last year, lots of brilliant people who haven't felt that they've been part of the team in the way that they should," she said. "We've got to get better at working together as a team in Parliament but also uniting our party and our movement." She said her leadership would help "unite the party and to allow us to get into it the strongest possible position for the really vital elections we've got coming up next May."

The contest has been sharpened by allied endorsements and strategic statements elsewhere. Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, publicly backed Powell in an interview with the New Statesman, saying Labour was being run in a "factional and quite divisive" way and that Powell's victory would help weaken Downing Street's grip on the party. Powell has framed herself as the "independent choice" in the contest and has also benefited from a £15,000 donation from green energy industrialist Dale Vince.

Powell's campaign has emphasized autonomy from the government and an emphasis on party unity, while Phillipson has made a case for strengthening the party's internal cohesion ahead of the May elections. The deputy leadership contest follows the resignation of Angela Rayner, a development that has intensified scrutiny of Labour's internal dynamics as hustings in Liverpool approach. Phillipson is set to participate in the autumn conference activities and will square off with Powell in the hustings as Labour seeks to present a united front in advance of the country's important electoral cycle. The broader debate over sexist briefings and leadership culture is being watched in other democracies, including US politics.