Twenty warnings for Sir Keir

Twenty warnings for Sir Keir Starmer from new deputy leader Lucy Powell

Sky's Jon Craig breaks down what Labour's Lucy Powell said - and what she meant - as she was crowned the party's new deputy leader after a closely fought race against Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.

Labour's new deputy leader Lucy Powell promised to be Sir Keir Starmer's ally.

Yet in her victory speech she criticised his government and its record no fewer than 20 times. And told him to raise his game, or else.

All we learn from this is that Lucy Powell's approach is to be more assertive and hard-nosed when pressing ahead with changes which won't work, never have worked in the past and aren't going to work in the future. More of the same but louder seems to be the message.

Powell is attempting to distance herself from failure by insisting on a need for much more assertive presentation and a greater determination to implement vague ideological ambitions. It's all too facile, tottering precariously on wobbling planks of misplaced confidence.

Distancing herself from her party leader without distancing herself from his practical and ideological difficulties isn't going to work. Powell hints that distancing herself from Starmer is enough to extract the party from failure. It isn't enough, there is much more to do.

The things which weigh heavily upon my mind are these—failure to improve in the virtues, failure in discussion of what is learnt, inability to walk according to knowledge received as to what is right and just, inability also to reform what has been amiss.

Analects of Confucius