LIVERPOOL — Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, has hit back at her Labour deputy leadership rival, Lucy Powell, by suggesting she is “insulting” Angela Rayner and John Prescott in her campaign.

Tuesday, the penultimate day of Labour conference, saw the two senior party figures call out each other’s campaigns. The deputy leadership hustings will take place on Wednesday.

Powell, who was sacked by Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier this month, had said on Tuesday that comments made by Phillipson on social media were “ill-advised” and suggested that the Education Secretary was causing “infighting.”

In a post on X, Phillipson had said: “The choice is clear. Labour’s heart and soul in government with me as Deputy Leader. Or more distractions, infighting and noise. Now is the time to unite, put our values into action and take the fight to Reform.”

Speaking at the POLITICO pub from Labour conference, Phillipson responded to Powell and doubled down on her comments, saying there was a “certain irony” that Powell had called for a debate, but “when I have a debate, that’s apparently a problem.”

She said that she would “bring members’ voices to the cabinet table” rather than “throwing stones from the outside,” adding: “I’ll be there when the decisions are made, able to get things done.”

“The difference is, I’ll actually be able to influence those decisions at the cabinet table.”

Phillipson went on to say that Powell’s suggestion she could be a more effective deputy leader operating outside of government was “a bit insulting” to previous deputy leaders Angela Rayner and John Prescott, who died last year.

“We had Angela Rayner doing a brilliant job as deputy leader, a campaigning deputy leader, but she was running a big government department,” said Phillipson. “What made Angela so effective was the combination of those two. 

“That would apply to John Prescott, Harriet Harman — the kind of suggestion that somehow those people were basically part-timers, that appears to be the implication, I think is a bit insulting to what they’re achieved.”