Liverpool, England – Lucy Powell has called out an “ill-advised” social media post by her Labour leadership rival, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, which appeared to suggest she is sowing “division” amongst the party.

Last night, Phillipson posted on X to say that the “choice is clear” in the race between herself and Powell, casting herself as “Labour’s heart and soul in government,” compared to “more distractions, infighting and noise.”

Speaking at the POLITICO Pub at Labour conference in Liverpool the day before the party’s deputy leadership hustings, Powell said her rival’s comments were “quite ill-advised” and that “debate is not dissent.”

“People want to have a debate about whether we can be better than we are currently being. If people think everything is going great and swimmingly, don’t vote for me.”

Powell went on to say that she wants to see Angela Rayner — Labour’s deputy leader who resigned following a tax scandal earlier this month — return to front-line politics and break her silence following her resignation.

She said that it was a “huge, huge loss” that Rayner had to step down and that she can “definately” come back as she is “still a leading figure in the party.”

“I’m sure it won’t be too long before she is making some of her views known, and I know she will enjoy some of the freedom that comes from not being in government as well,” Powell said, adding: “She’s got a lot to say, and I want to hear from her.”

Labour’s conference has been dominated by attacks on Nigel Farage’s Reform UK — who have been leading Labour in the polls for several months — with Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling Reform’s immigration policies both “immoral” and “racist.”

Powell said: “I don’t think Nigel Farage is a racist, particularly,” but that “some of his policies” are, before stressing that she feels there is a risk her party talks “about Nigel Farage too much.”