Loading summary
Adam Fleming
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.
Saks Off 5th Advertiser
Saks off 5th is revealing the season's most wanted holiday steals. Whether you're gifting someone on your list or treating yourself to a designer score, find deals on McQueen, Valentino, Versace, Stuart Weitzman and more at up to 70% off every day. Outshine at every event and outsmart your budget. From shimmer ready party looks to luxe layers and cozy giftable Accessories, Saks off 5th is your secret source for celebrating in style. Your holiday shopping mission starts now@saksoff5.com or a Saks off 5th store near you.
Toyota Advertiser 1
Toyota Thon. Toyota Thon. Toyota Thon is on. Oh, what fun it is to drive a new Toyota today.
Toyota Advertiser 2
Hey, Jan from Toyota here reminding you Toyotathon is on. Make your holiday wishes come true with a new Camry, RAV4 Tacoma and more. All right, let's sing it together this time.
Toyota Advertiser 1
Toyota Thon. Toyota Thon. Toyota Thon is on.
Toyota Advertiser 3
Dealer inventory may vary. Toyota thone ends January 5th. See your participating dealer for details. Toyota, let's go places.
Adam Fleming
Hello. Even though MPs have gone home from Parliament and are getting ready for Christmas, there's still some political news going on. For example, some comments Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, gave to the observer being interpreted as him being in favour of joining the EU's customs union. And also the speculation that a growing number of councils in England are going to ask to postpone the elections in their area as they grapple with the local government reorganization. Now, it just so happened we'd arranged already to speak to Lucy Powell, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, about the year that she's just had and the year that the government is going to have next year. So it's very good timing to discuss all those things together in this episode.
Lucy Powell
Of Newscast, Newscast, Newscast from the BBC.
Adam Fleming
Fat Boy Slim and me in the classroom doing our violin lessons. I was the tattletale in the class.
Lucy Powell
Can I have an apology, please? I trust almost nobody that Daddy has.
Adam Fleming
To sometimes use strong language.
Lucy Powell
Next time in mosque I feel dulu with no salulu.
Toyota Advertiser 1
Take me down to Downing Street.
Adam Fleming
Let's go have a tour. Blimey. Hello, it's Adam in the newscast studio and thank you very much to all my colleagues who kept the seat warm while I was doing some training last week, which I passed with flying colors. It was about how to survive in a war zone, which you have to do every three years. And it was nice to have my first age training refreshed. Anyway, we're going to spend this episode chatting to Lucy Powell, the deputy leader of the Labour Party. She won that election against Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, a couple of months ago, and before that she was the leader of the House of Commons. But she got reshuffled out of the Cabinet during the reshuffle that followed the departure of Angela Rayner as Deputy leader of the Labour Party and Deputy Prime Minister. Although, crucially, Lucy Powell did not also get to be Deputy Prime Minister as well, because that job was went to David Lammy. She campaigned on being the person that told the truth about politics to the Prime Minister and government ministers and she called for a course correction in how the government ran the country and communicated its message when she won the deputy leadership. So plenty to discuss with Lucy Powell, who joins us from her constituency right now in Greater Manchester. Hello, Lucy Powell.
Lucy Powell
Hi, Adam.
Adam Fleming
Merry pre Christmas.
Lucy Powell
Merry pre Christmas to you as well.
Adam Fleming
I was also wondering, do I say Madam Deputy Leader? There isn't really a greeting for the Deputy leader of the Labour Party, is there?
Lucy Powell
No, Madam Deputy Lead is very much the Deputy speakers, isn't it? Yeah.
Adam Fleming
Because actually Deputy Leader of the Labor Party doesn't come with that quite sort of same grandness.
Lucy Powell
Not on its own, depending in opposition it does because. Yeah. And then in government, if you're not DPM as well, it's sort of. Yeah. I'm shaping this job as I go.
Adam Fleming
Well, yeah, I was going to say, how have you. Have you found your groove yet? In it.
Lucy Powell
I'm finding my groove in. In it, yeah. I think. Yeah.
Adam Fleming
Tell us a bit more about what the groove is.
Lucy Powell
So I'm obviously, I'm writing the job description as I'm going, because it is. I'm doing it differently. Normally, the deputy leader would also be the Deputy Prime Minister. I'm not, because that position had already been been appointed, but also because I really strongly felt, and actually it was one of the things that resonated so much with members as well who voted for me, that what we really needed right now was someone that could reconnect us with our politics with the party, but also the politics of the country and. And bring the politics into the conversation of government and. And I've been able to do that as Deputy leader and it's very admirable.
Adam Fleming
That you're saying you're still working it out because, like, people don't like hearing people coming in, swooping in, thinking they know it all. This is like a. This is like a much more modest way of doing it, isn't it?
Lucy Powell
Well, absolutely. Look we're in really, really, really febrile and fractured and difficult sort of political times where politics are just moving incredibly fast. People's expectations are really high, people's desire for urgency about wanting to see change and things happen. People wanting to see politicians who recognize that and are on their side and government is very slow. So we kind of need to bridge that a bit better. So, yeah, it is a job I'm doing differently. I'm doing it essentially from the back benches. But I'm not here to, as I said all the way through my campaign, I'm not here to sort of throw bricks at the government from afar. I'm here to help to make this government more successful because we really need it to be, the whole country needs it to be the Labour Party. We really need it to be. And you know, I want to help it to succeed. So I'm not kind of sitting at the sidelines throwing bricks and being grumpy. I'm trying to get stuck in and help to improve things.
Adam Fleming
Except I would just wonder if lots of newscasters listening to what you just said about what went wrong or what hasn't gone so well sounds like sort of implied criticisms of the Prime Minister because it's things like remembering who you're in office for, making sure everyone sticks to a plan, making sure people don't get distracted by like the day to day. That's all sounds to me like stuff that the actual leader of the Labour Party should be doing rather than the deputy.
Lucy Powell
Well, no, I mean, and he does do that, but he's also running the country and you know, and what comes with that is a lot of work and effort running the country and trying to sort out big global problems that we need him to focus on and sort out as well. So, you know, as the Prime Minister and as the Prime Minister in these very difficult global and world times as well, you know, he's, he's spinning many plates at once. So, you know, I think that there is a real virtue to having, you know, your deputy who's been, who's, who's able to kind of move and shape the sort of the politics, keep in touch with your party and your plp. And I'm doing that with him and in service of him. I'm not doing that to, you know, to criticize him or because he's not done it well enough. It's just that he has got lots and lots of, of other plates to spin whilst he's running the country. And we kind of need him to do that as well, and as I say, I think we're just in, I think, times, political times that none of us can really ever remember before. I mean, normally Prime Ministers are given a bit of time to get on to do some of those things and are given credit for them in due course. Well, that's not the world we're in now. Everybody wants everything right away, immediately, tomorrow. And, yeah, that's a lot of pressure.
Adam Fleming
You said after you won the contest to be deputy leader that you wanted a course correction in government. That was the phrase you used. Has the course been corrected?
Lucy Powell
I think we've seen real progress. If you look at the budget, for example, and obviously there's people that want to criticise that budget, but we've seen really strong Labour policies, Labour values coming through in that budget. It was no question that was a Labour budget and I think people really wanted to sort of see the Labour bit of the government more strongly coming through. Big action on tackling poverty, big action on DNHS and the cost of living, whilst those with the broader shoulders, changes to the tax system, gambling levy, mansion tax, whatever you want to call it, coming into effect there. That was a clear Labour budget and credit to Rachel, she's been able to bring in those sort of progressive policies at the same time as keeping the markets happy. So I think we've seen some real progress on that in the last few weeks.
Adam Fleming
Although you say the broader shoulders, I mean, you're also freezing the income tax thresholds at the bottom of the income scale, so somebody on a very low income who gets a pay rise next year could be brought into paying income tax for the first time. Whereas if you'd uprated that threshold, people with narrower shoulders wouldn't have been affected. Sure.
Lucy Powell
And I mean, obviously we've had to address the sort of headroom issue, if you like. I know that's not so that we can keep mortgages low and that we can kind of keep the economy sort of stable, which in the end help prices, which help to keep people's sort of cost of living lower. And that was a trade off in that regard. But that's why we've got to go sort of further and faster on the cost of living, why we're taking action on low payments. That's why we're taking action on energy prices, on the cost of living more generally, and obviously seeing interest rates coming down since the budget and more to come, which will alleviate for many that sort of cost of living crisis. So, of course there's more to do. It's just one budget. But as I say, I think no one could argue that it wasn't anything other than a labour budget. And I don't believe that any other sort of party would have, have delivered that in that way at that point in time.
Adam Fleming
And as we're recording this episode of newscast on Monday 22nd December, we got the news from the treasury that the spring statement or whatever is now, I think it's called the spring forecast is going to be on the 3rd of March next year. So that's when the OBR will do their economic predictions, although they are not going to mark Rachel Reeves on her fiscal rules because that's only going to happen once a year from now on. Okay. So Lucy, if you're, if you're thinking about other things you could do on the cost of living, what are other areas you've got your eye on and you will now be advising your cabinet colleagues to have their eyes on too, or kind of. Or do you think you've kind of, you've laid the groundwork now it's just going to let those things bed in like the increase in the living wage and things like that?
Lucy Powell
Well, we have got a lot of things coming into effect next year and we do need the space to really be able to, to, to showcase those and make sure that people kind of recognize that coming. So yes, we have got the increase in the living wage and the minimum wage in April. We've also got a number of the measures from the Employment Rights now act coming in in April which gives people more job security. We've got the Renters Rights act coming into effect early next year which will start to mean that landlords can't just keep hiking up rents year on year. And it also will stop the kind of bidding wars that people face when they're trying to get a new rental property.
Adam Fleming
And landlords might be stuck with tenants that they don't like.
Lucy Powell
I think that they'll be, that will be kind of a small feature. I think anyone who has to operate in the private rented sector knows that, that, you know, what we've seen in recent years is huge year on year kind of rent increases that are just become unaffordable for people and these bidding wars over properties as well, which means that people end up paying higher and higher rents, huge rent inflation and that, you know, that's obviously the biggest cost of living that most people face. And then of course We've got the £150 off energy bills coming in April. So we've got a huge amount of Actual policies coming into effect, which we really need to make sure we can champion and we can talk about. And that's, I think that's really important, that we don't kind of lose sight of all of that and really embed that. But of course, yeah, I mean, the big issues facing people are wanting a decent job that pays well. That means that having a job actually gives you a decent standard of living, which isn't what we've seen in the last 15 years or so.
Adam Fleming
Unemployment is up under this government, but.
Lucy Powell
In work poverty has gone up significantly under the Tories. And now just having a job these days is not a route out of that. People living with zero hours contracts not knowing how much they're going to get at the end of every month. And it's the welfare state that subsidises that effectively, you know, action on housing costs and affordability there, which is why we've got the big social housing program. So again, you know, these are things that we should be really accelerating and selling and then the everyday sort of cost of living, whether that's energy, food and other things and obviously childcare and free, universal, free school meals, etc. Extending those. You know, there's a lot we're doing and we need to showcase that. And of course, you know, there's more still to do to really address those issues for people.
Adam Fleming
Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, was interviewed in the observer this weekend and he went for a big long walk with Rachel Sylvester. And some of what is being said is interpreted as him sounding positive about the UK joining the EU's Customs Union. Where do you stand on joining the Customs Union or a Customs Union with the eu?
Lucy Powell
Well, I mean, I'm, I'm not quite sure that's what Wes was saying, but what I do know is, like me, Wes is very clear that we need to stick to our manifesto. You know, these things were in our manifesto for a reason, because we wanted the country to trust us to run the country and to make decisions that they wanted to see us make. And that's why we put in that in the manifesto that we wouldn't rejoin the Customs Union, we wouldn't join the single market. Because, you know, whilst there are many people who want us to see us doing that, there are many people who also voted for Brexit and who voted Labour in that last election. So it's a manifesto commitment and it's really important we stick to those. But of course, closer ties with the eu, something we are already doing and we're doing to great Effect is really important to not just our economy.
Adam Fleming
What's the great effect?
Lucy Powell
Well, I think we've seen that coming through now with the reset, with the new trading arrangements.
Adam Fleming
Well, there hasn't been an effect yet, has there? Because actually the only thing that's been agreed is rejoining the Erasmus student exchange scheme. The rest of it hasn't actually been agreed yet.
Lucy Powell
Well, the top lines of it have been agreed, haven't they, in terms of not implemented the veterinary arrangements and the sort of food and drink and so on and some of those areas. So they've been agreed. But yeah, there's still a lot of detail to be worked out. But we're also working much more closely with the EU on defense and security and on.
Adam Fleming
Well, we couldn't join their new defence spending program.
Lucy Powell
Look at the role we're playing alongside our European partners, which to be honest were would have been unthinkable five years or so ago that Keir Starmer is convening a coalition of the willing when it comes to Ukraine leading and working so closely with Germany, with France, right across Europe. We are central to a lot of these conversations and that was unthinkable just five years ago. And now the challenges of, you know, illegal migration across Europe as well. We've got to work together on these issues so that they're not straightforward, they're not easy, there's no silver bullets. But we, we've, I think we have reset our relationship with the EU and I do think the effects of that will be more broadly felt over coming months and years and there's still more work to be done.
Adam Fleming
But absolutely no way the UK would join their customs union or a customs union not.
Lucy Powell
It's in our manifesto. So we absolutely need to be, I think, as I've been famously quoted as saying before, you know, I do think our manifesto are. Sticking to our manifesto commitments is really important when it comes to trust in politics. And we said some things in our manifesto and we're going to be sticking to them. Even though I know there are, you know, there are differing views about that across the country.
Adam Fleming
And are you okay with, with people like Wes Streeting talking so wide rangingly and going beyond their briefs and like he's the Health Secretary and there he is talking about the, the eu. That's, that's not in his job description. It is in yours because you've got a roving brief across everything. Are you relaxed with people like Wes treating sort of opining on all sorts?
Lucy Powell
Well, I'm very disciplined, as you know, Adam but look, I think.
Adam Fleming
And where. Isn't it.
Lucy Powell
No, I think, look, as I was saying earlier, I mean, look, there's a great appetite, isn't there, in your industry? And, you know, it's not a criticism. That's what you're there to do, but there's a great appetite in the media for, you know, the stories of division, of difference, of the sort of Westminster soap opera, who's up, who's down, and, and that's. That's. We shouldn't be feeding that because that's not our business. Our business is changing the country, changing people's lives and being able to communicate to people that that's what we're doing and how we're doing that so that we can regain that trust in politics and that 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. And we're starting to see that and the stakes are really high. So I do think it's really important for us as. As politicians to, to stay very focused and, yes, sort of disciplined in some. In some regards, in our. In our message and what we're trying to communicate so that we can really get that across to people.
Adam Fleming
Because there's been a lack of discipline?
Lucy Powell
Well, no, I think it's just because there is this. There is a media obsession, which I do understand, and I'm not criticizing anyone, but there is. There is an obsession with slight differences, with splits, with. With division and so on. And, you know, and I think that is.
Adam Fleming
But doesn't that exist because, like, Starmer is not being strong enough and clamping down on it. And the alternative is, like, everyone going off in all sorts of different directions and lots of gossip about him being replaced. You don't gossip about someone being replaced when they're doing a great job, do you?
Lucy Powell
Well, no, I'd like some of the gossip to stop gossiping to some degree because we need to get on with. With the job of what we're doing, and that's what we were elected to do. And these are really hard times. I do understand that people also want. They do want some authenticity as well. They don't want us all just coming across as kind of robots and just all spouting the same few things. But I think, you know, I'm sure, you know, I know that Wes agrees with me, as does every other member of the Cabinet, that one of the things that we all want to. To do is to. To tell our story much more strongly about whose side we're on, what our purpose is and what our values are about and what they're actually delivering for people. And, and to do that, we all have to kind of charge forward doing that together because otherwise we'll never ever get that story across.
Adam Fleming
We've talked before about some of the great deputy leaders of the Labour Party in the past. I mean, I'm just thinking about John Prescott sitting there being like the marriage guidance counselor between Blair and Brown. Can you imagine a role at that for you? Like, sort of if we ever get to a stage where it's big beast versus big beast?
Lucy Powell
Well, I think one of the things I always pride myself on is that I do. I get on with people right across politics. I'm quite straightforward person. I'm not a particularly sort of factional person. So I'm interested in, in getting things done and making sure that we are successful. And we've been given this chance. We've been given a huge, huge chance here as the Labour Party to run the country and to deliver this change that everyone is crying out for. And we've got to seize it, and we've got to seize back that. That moment was, I think you and I have talked about before, we have ceded too much ground. We've given the political megaphone over to Nigel Farage in this last last year particularly. And, you know, it's a collective endeavor to seize that political megaphone back. And, and we've absolutely got to. To do that and do that much more sort of strongly and effectively. And if that means, you know, I'm happy to sort of make friends with all sorts of people in order to get that done and build alliances. And I'm also happy to, to. To build relationships for us to do that, because politics is a team sport. It is not an individual sport. And our individual political fortunes will rest or fall on the basis of this Labour government succeeding. And we've all got an interest in that. And it's, you know, I think the idea that somehow this government not succeeding will then sort of help one or two other individuals, I just think is nonsense, really.
Adam Fleming
And can you imagine, can you imagine ever cooperating with Nigel Farage? And I don't mean like a coalition with Nigel, with reformers, anything like that, but just like if you had an issue in common and you thought maybe he was right on something, you would collaborate with him.
Lucy Powell
I've just never seen him be right about anything. So that would be a bit of a stretch. But, but I think politics, you know, politics is the better when people, when, when you do have things in common that you work, you can work sort of cross party to, to do that. But I've just, I can't think of a single thing that Nigel Farage has said that I've agreed with. But there are other people in politics that, that, you know, I wouldn't necessarily say say that about, but I think there is a big divide now growing, isn't there, in terms of our sort of politics? There are the, you know, there's the sort of progressive side force of politics, if you like, and there's the, the sort of populist kind of right side of politics. And I think that divide will only become clearer and starker over the next kind of year or two. And I think it's just really important that the Labour Party is the kind of vehicle that leads the sort of progressive alliance. And that's. Yeah, I think that's what Keir was talking about in his conference speech and that is the challenge for us all.
Adam Fleming
Well, first thing, I suppose some people will think, oh, there's a bit of a danger for Lucy Powell here because as soon as you say Nigel Farage has never been right about anything, you're basically sort of insinuating that the people who like Nigel Farage, of which there are a lot, are also in the wrong too.
Lucy Powell
No, I don't, I don't think that. And I know, I know loads of people who are either thinking about voting reform or have voted reform and for all sorts of reasons.
Adam Fleming
Will any of them be around your Christmas dinner table?
Lucy Powell
Not around my Christmas dinner table, no. But, but I have got people in my, I've got people in my broader.
Adam Fleming
Family perhaps at a carol service and.
Lucy Powell
Colleagues, you know, and I totally sort of recognize, you know, when a lot of that is sort of working class families and voters up in the north, where I am now. And, and you know, I totally kind of recognize those, those thoughts and those instincts and where that's coming from. And you know, for a lot of people, that's certainly not coming from a, a bad place. You know, it is coming from a place of, as I said earlier, really wanting to see change and not feeling that the country works in the interests of ordinary people. But Nigel Farage has painted a picture that says the reason why the country's not working for you, you know, plumber from Doncaster, is because of all these immigrants coming and taking all your jobs and driving down wages and putting up prices and putting pressure on, on our public services. And, and I just disagree with that diagnosis. I'VE got a different diagnosis, which is that our economies become deeply unequal and those with assets and wealth have. Have ended up being able to ride through all the political crises, all the economic crises, and ordinary people have just got worse and worse off as jobs have got more insecure and lower paid and housing has got more expensive and less secure and public services have got worse. And they're all the reasons why life's got harder. And that's what we're about addressing. And we have to seize that political megaphone. Back off, Nigel Farage. To tell a different story about what is really wrong with the country and how we're fixing it.
Adam Fleming
And in terms of next year, huge big set of elections in Scotland, Wales and English local authorities. There was speculation that some of them won't go ahead. In England, we'll see in the middle of next month when. When they have to decide. Do you look at those set of elections and feel a little bit scared?
Lucy Powell
No, I look at those elections and see a big job of work to do and how important they are, each in their own right, really. Yes. In. We've got some big elections next year in Scotland, as you say. You know, we've got a real opportunity to get Anasawa, who's absolutely brilliant in Scotland, to be the first Minister of Scotland. There is a path to that and, you know, we've got to support him and Scottish Labour in doing that.
Adam Fleming
What is the path to that, though? Because the SNP are back at the top of the polls and Labour has plummeted.
Lucy Powell
Yeah. I mean, there's a lot of unhappiness with the Scottish government and, you know, we've got this irony up there at the moment, which is that the Scottish Nationalist Party want these elections to be about the Westminster government and not about the Scottish government. And we need the choice at election to be who's running Scotland. And that choice will be between John Swinney and Anasawa. And I think when as that choice really crystallizes for people, I think we'll see a shift there in people's voting intentions and things. But obviously the SNP just want that to be a referendum on the UK government and what's happening in Westminster and we need to avoid that. Obviously in Wales, it's big elections under a new voting system, very kind of complicated and difficult and we've been in government there for a long time as well, so we're the incumbent. So that brings with it kind of different issues. But I really don't want reform to get a massive foothold in running Wales there. And again, we need to really be clear with people about what the consequences are in that election for Wales in particular. We've got big elections in London as well. All the councillors are up in London and right around the country. And I don't want to see. I'm just not prepared as deputy leader of the Labour Party, I'm just not prepared to sit back and say, gosh, these are difficult and, oh, well, you know, we'll have a look at what we can change after them, blah, blah, blah. You know, I want us to shape these elections because I don't want to see any more reform run councils in England than we've already got because they're showing already in the short space of time they've been running a number of councils, you know how badly they're running them. They're making huge cuts to children's services to send provision to care homes in some of the big county councils.
Adam Fleming
Well, financial challenges facing local authorities of.
Lucy Powell
All different political stripes, particularly in, in reform. So I, I don't want to see. See them running them. So we, you know, we've still got five, six months to go and, you know, I think we can have some effect on that when we've got to.
Adam Fleming
And if, and if some of those elections are postponed in the areas where there's local government reorganization, that, that's okay. That's just, that's just the cost of doing business with. Of local government that the country has to accept.
Lucy Powell
I mean, I think they're, look, they're sort of difficult decisions. I think we should face forward, personally. I think we should sort of face forward with it for elections with confidence. Yeah, 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 if the local area, you know, wants to postpone them because of the reorganization, which would mean that then all the seats would back up for election very, very shortly afterwards, then that's something for those areas themselves working with the Secretary of State.
Adam Fleming
So you're okay if it's a small number, but if it becomes a larger number, you'd be worried?
Lucy Powell
Yeah, I don't think it will. I don't think that's the idea. I think the vast majority, and they are, you know, there are a huge number of elections happening in May, and the vast majority of those are happening as far as, as far as I understand it. But, you know, I'm. It won't be a surprise for you to, to know that I'm pro Elections, pro democracy. And, you know, we've got to, we've got to win up, win the argument and, and win the battle of ideas and, and win on, on, on our record and, and we've got to do that.
Adam Fleming
Right. Last, very obvious political Christmas journalism question, will Keir Starmer still be Prime Minister this time next year? Yes, there you go. And second, classic Christmas question. What's your favorite Christmas film?
Lucy Powell
Home Alone, I think. Although my kids made me watch that Nativity last night review. Never watched before. Yeah, it was good. But I know, what is it? Sparkle and Shine. I was like, now I've got that in my head all day, which is quite irritating. But Home Alone is definitely the best one.
Adam Fleming
I've actually never seen it.
Lucy Powell
I mean, it's like it's a British film.
Adam Fleming
Oh, yeah, I know, I know of it, I know of it.
Lucy Powell
Yeah. Well, I don't think I'd seen it fully before. It's got a great cast and a good sort of. My kids found it hilarious.
Adam Fleming
Lucy, good to catch up with you. Merry Christmas and speak to you in the new year.
Lucy Powell
Thank you, Adam, lovely to speak to you.
Adam Fleming
And thank you to Rachel who sent us this message. I just got in touch to say happy Christmas to you all. Happy Christmas, Rachel. And to ask a question. What would be your ideal Christmas? Well, Rachel, I was actually flipping through the listings for TV and radio for this Christmas on the BBC. And on Christmas Day, Kirsty Wark is presenting an episode of the Reunion where she gets people together to talk about things that happened in the past. And it's about the creation of Downton Abbey. And I just thought that BBC is my perfect, perfect listening for Christmas Day on BBC Sounds. And it works because there isn't a newscast on Christmas Day. But in the succeeding days, there will be plenty of episodes of Newscast. For example, some more old newscasts which we've already recorded, which is going to be really, really good. And also a review of the year that I did with Chris and Laura and Paddy, which is already in the can and is going to be perfect Christmas listening. So I think, Rachel, that answers your question in a very corporate BBC Sound sponsored way. Right, that's all for this episode of Newscast. We'll be back with another one very soon. Bye bye.
Lucy Powell
Newscast, Newscast from the BBC.
Newscast Outro Announcer
Well, thank you for making it to the end of another Newscast. You clearly ooze stamina. Can I gently encourage you to subscribe to us on BBC Sounds? And then without having to do anything else, our meandering chat will miraculously make its way to your phone.
Toyota Advertiser 1
Toyota thon. Toyota thon. Toyota thon is on. Oh, what fun it is to drive a new Toyota today.
Toyota Advertiser 2
Hey, Jan from Toyota here reminding you Toyota thon is on. Make your holiday wishes come true with a new Camry RAV4 Tacoma and more. All right, let's sing it together this time.
Toyota Advertiser 1
Toyota thon. Toyota thon.
Toyota Advertiser 3
Toyota Dealer inventory may vary. Toyota thone ends January 5th. See your participating dealer for details. Toyota, let's go places.
Date: December 22, 2025
Host: Adam Fleming (BBC News)
Guest: Lucy Powell (Deputy Leader of the Labour Party)
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.
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)
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.