Podcast Summary: Newscast – The Labour Deputy Leader Interview

Date: December 22, 2025
Host: Adam Fleming (BBC News)
Guest: Lucy Powell (Deputy Leader of the Labour Party)

Overview

This episode of the BBC's Newscast features an in-depth interview with Lucy Powell, recently elected Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. Adam Fleming and Powell discuss her new role, Labour’s approach to government, navigating political pressures, economic policy, Brexit questions, party discipline, and the upcoming 2026 elections. The conversation is candid, reflecting the dynamic and often challenging context of British politics post-Labour’s return to power.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Defining the Deputy Leader Role

• Context: Powell took on the Deputy Leader position following Angela Rayner, but unlike previous holders, is not also Deputy Prime Minister.
• Role Evolution:
  • "I'm writing the job description as I'm going, because it is. I'm doing it differently." (Lucy Powell, 04:04)
  • She approaches the job with a focus on reconnecting the party with both its MPs and the wider electorate.
  • Emphasizes a collaborative role—helping to make the government more successful, not simply criticizing from the sidelines.
• Honesty about Adjusting: "I'm finding my groove in it... I'm shaping this job as I go." (Lucy Powell, 03:57)

2. Political and Policy Climate

• Labour's Challenges Post-Election:
  • Politics described as "febrile and fractured," with heightened public expectations and urgency for change. (05:51)
  • Emphasizes need for government to move faster and communicate better with the public.
• Supporting the PM:
  • Powell insists her role is to support the Prime Minister amid intense demands: "He's spinning many plates at once." (06:21)
  • She rejects the idea that her suggestions imply criticism of Starmer.

3. Course Correction and Labour Values

• Course Correction:
  • Powell said after winning her post that she wanted a "course correction" in government.
  • "If you look at the budget... we've seen really strong Labour policies, Labour values coming through." (07:52)
  • Policies cited: Tackling poverty, NHS investment, cost of living action, progressive tax changes.
  • "No one could argue that it wasn't anything other than a Labour budget." (09:11)
• Balancing Stability and Progressivism:
  • Defends tough decisions, like freezing income tax thresholds, as necessary for economic stability.
  • Focus now is on implementing new policy: increases in minimum wage, renter protections, energy bill relief. (10:52, 12:39)

4. Labour and the EU

• Wes Streeting's Comments:
  • Recent remarks by Wes Streeting, interpreted as openness to an EU customs union, prompt direct questions.
  • Powell is firm: "We wouldn't rejoin the Customs Union, we wouldn't join the single market... It's a manifesto commitment and it's really important we stick to those." (13:54)
• Closer Ties, Not Rejoining:
  • Powell points to positive steps in EU relations (e.g., Erasmus scheme, coordination on defense and trade), but insists these are no substitute for formal customs or market membership. (15:01–16:41)
  • She calls sticking to the manifesto a matter of trust: "[...] sticking to our manifesto commitments is really important when it comes to trust in politics." (16:41)

5. Message Discipline and Party Cohesion

• Handling Public Debate and Cabinet Outspokenness:
  • Powell reflects on press interest in division and urges party unity in message. (17:34)
  • "There is a media obsession... with slight differences, with splits, with division... That's not our business. Our business is changing the country." (17:33)
  • Acknowledges need for authenticity but stresses discipline: "[...] I think we can prove the model, that mainstream political politics can actually deliver the kind of change that people are crying out for, because otherwise they'll go elsewhere." (17:34)
  • On gossip and speculation about party leadership: "I'd like some of the gossip to stop... we need to get on with the job." (19:11)

6. Progressive Alliance, Farage, and Political Opposition

• Seizing the Political Narrative:
  • On Farage: "We've ceded too much ground. We've given the political megaphone over to Nigel Farage in this last year particularly." (20:25)
  • Powell is willing to work cross-party but not with Farage: "I've just never seen him be right about anything." (22:17)
  • She draws a distinction between voters who supported reform and Farage himself, articulating her analysis of the UK's problems as rooted in inequality, not immigration. (24:05)
• On Co-operation:
  • Powell sees Labour as leading the "progressive alliance" in British politics. (22:17)

7. Looking Ahead: 2026 Elections and Local Democracy

• Upcoming Elections:
  • "I look at those elections and see a big job of work to do and how important they are..." (26:03)
  • Focus on opportunities in Scotland (supporting Anas Sarwar), challenges in Wales and London, and the threat of Reform gaining more local power.
  • Expresses opposition to postponing elections, except in very limited circumstances. "We are Democrats and, you know, we believe in democracy and having elections..." (29:05)

8. Personal Touches and Closing Moments

• On the Role of Deputy:
  • Reflects on being a consensus-builder, not a factionalist, and prioritizes party success over personal ambition. (20:25)
• On Christmas:
  • Favourite holiday film: "Home Alone, I think. Although my kids made me watch that Nativity last night..." (30:32)
• On Keir Starmer's Future:
  • Adam Fleming: "Will Keir Starmer still be Prime Minister this time next year?"
    Lucy Powell: "Yes, there you go." (30:17)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Shaping the Deputy Leader Role:
  "I'm writing the job description as I'm going, because it is. I'm doing it differently." – Lucy Powell (04:04)

• On Political Pressures:
  "We're in really, really, really febrile and fractured and difficult sort of political times where politics are just moving incredibly fast." – Lucy Powell (04:51)

• On the Labour Budget:
  "No one could argue that it wasn't anything other than a Labour budget." – Lucy Powell (09:11)

• On Party Discipline:
  "There is a media obsession...with splits, with division...That's not our business. Our business is changing the country..." – Lucy Powell (17:33)

• On Working with Farage:
  "I've just never seen him be right about anything. So that would be a bit of a stretch." – Lucy Powell (22:17)

• On Voter Frustration and Political Narrative:
  "We've ceded too much ground. We've given the political megaphone over to Nigel Farage in this last year particularly. And, you know, it's a collective endeavor to seize that political megaphone back." – Lucy Powell (20:25)

• On Upcoming Elections and Democracy:
  "We are Democrats and, you know, we believe in democracy and having elections, but I think these are a very small number of cases where...the local area...wants to postpone them because of the reorganization..." – Lucy Powell (29:05)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• Powell on evolving the Deputy Leader role: 03:53–04:51
• Discussing Labour's course correction and the budget: 07:43–09:11
• Addressing the EU customs union debate: 13:33–16:41
• Party unity, communication, and discipline: 17:33–20:06
• Labour’s approach to opposition parties and Farage: 20:25–24:05
• 2026 elections outlook: 25:43–29:42
• Quickfire Christmas fun questions: 30:17–31:01

Tone and Original Language

Throughout, Lucy Powell’s tone is candid but constructive, showing both realism and optimism about Labour’s position and challenges. Adam Fleming adopts a probing, sometimes playful, but respectful approach. The exchange is open, insightful, and features Powell’s characteristic blend of honesty, realism, and disciplined focus on Labour’s core message.

This summary captures the breadth of policy and politics in this episode, providing insight into how Powell sees her newly influential role, Labour’s governing priorities, and the landscape of challenges and opportunities facing the party and the country in 2026.