Lucy ran a positive campaign advocating for pluralism, democracy and a cultural course correction, pledging to bring members, affiliates and communities into Labour’s decision-making. Ending the two-child benefit limit, which we campaigned for at this year’s party conference, was also central to her campaign.
Lucy’s victory today is a win for Labour’s mainstream. It shows that the majority of our movement wants Labour to be open, participatory and inclusive. Members have rejected the hyper-factional, top-down culture culpable for the missteps of our first year in government. The failed experiment in political centralisation being pursued by a tiny group at the top of the party must now end. The low turnout in this contest is a sign of the disillusionment and plummeting morale that this culture is provoking.
The result of the Caerphilly by-election, where Labour went from first to third place, is a straw in the wind of what will happen next May and in the 2029 General Election unless the party has a major reset.
This result must mark a shift toward a broader, bolder politics within Labour. Only then will we be able to construct a transformative, democratic socialist programme for the country. Mainstream will organise to make this a reality. The alternative is a Reform-led government.
