Labour deputy hopeful Lucy Powell criticises welfare 'unforced errors' and rejects 'proxy' claims

Lucy Powell, a candidate to be Labour's next deputy leader, used her first broadcast interview since being dismissed in Sir Keir Starmer's recent reshuffle to criticise what she called the party's "unforced errors" on welfare policy and to reject allegations that her campaign is a proxy for other senior figures.

Speaking to the BBC's Nick Robinson, the Manchester Central MP said attempts to cut disability benefits and winter fuel payments had left voters asking "whose side we are on" and that Labour needed to be clearer about its desire to scrap the two-child benefit cap. Powell said those moves had created a sense of distance between the party and some of its traditional supporters.

"We need to be absolutely clear about where we stand on the two-child cap," Powell said. "These are the things that lead people to question whose side we are on." She said she would, if elected deputy leader, be a "conduit" for the views of party members and would tell the leadership "when we're getting things wrong." Powell added that she did not want a cabinet role if she won the deputy leadership contest.

Powell was sacked as Commons leader in the reshuffle and said she may have been dismissed for telling the leadership things "they didn't want to hear," including how strongly some MPs opposed welfare cuts. She said Sir Keir had been "really clear" that Labour frontbencher David Lammy would replace Angela Rayner as deputy prime minister.

Powell is contesting the deputy leadership against Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary and a former cabinet colleague. She dismissed speculation that her bid was a "proxy" for Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham or for former Labour leader Ed Miliband, both of whom have been the subject of media conjecture about future leadership ambitions.

"Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a proxy for anybody. I'm me," Powell said. She praised Burnham as a "great politician" and communicator but called suggestions that members might vote for her to signal support for him "sexist" and "wrong." She also noted that Burnham cannot currently become Labour leader because he is not a Member of Parliament, although commentators have suggested he could seek a return to Westminster via a by-election.

Nick Robinson also raised the possibility that Powell could be a proxy for Miliband, who led Labour to defeat in 2015 and remains a senior figure in the party; Powell, who was once Miliband's chief of staff, reiterated her independence.

Phillipson, who launched her campaign in her Sunderland constituency, urged unity within Labour as it seeks to win a second term in government. "I won't pretend this government hasn't made mistakes – I've been first to admit it," she told supporters. "But we can't afford to look inwards - to go back to the bad old days of a divided Labour Party and open old wounds. If we turn against each other only one person will win – Nigel Farage - but millions more will lose."

Powell said she would serve as a "full-time deputy leader" focused on bridging the gap between members and the leadership rather than seeking a ministerial post. The interview will be available in full on the Political Thinking with Nick Robinson podcast on BBC Sounds and will be broadcast on BBC2 and BBC Radio 4 later in the week.

The contest to replace Angela Rayner, who stepped down as deputy leader, has become a focal point for discussions about Labour's direction after the reshuffle. Powell and Phillipson have presented different emphases in their campaigns: Powell stressing internal accountability and clearer welfare messaging, and Phillipson calling for unity and a forward-looking campaign to secure another term in government.

Both candidates face a selection process that will include party members and affiliated supporters, and the debate over welfare policy, party unity and leadership style is likely to be central as Labour moves toward choosing its next deputy leader.