Lucy Powell says Labour has ‘no magic bullet’ as MPs brace for heavy losses in local elections

Labour’s deputy leader has warned there will be “no magic bullet” to solve Labour’s problems – or major challenges facing the country – as its MPs grapple with how to navigate the fallout out from the local elections. Lucy Powell told the Guardian she understood there was “huge anger and despondency” from Labour MPs in the aftermath of the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal, but said the prime minister would not make a similar mistake again. Powell, who called for Keir Starmer to be more explicitly progressive during her deputy leadership campaign, said she would not engage in leadership speculation with the party facing a potential loss of more than 75% of the council seats it is defending, as well as losing power in Wales and failing to beat the SNP in Scotland. But she warned restive MPs there would be “no one change” that would lead to a reverse in fortunes. “There’s no magic bullet here for us. We are in a difficult world,” she said in an interview on the campaign trail in Leeds, where the party is facing off against both Reform and the Greens in different parts of the city. “I strongly believe that we’ve got the right agenda to start turning that around. To give people hope, an opportunity and see the change in their communities.” Asked if Keir Starmer was the right leader to deliver it, Powell said: “I’m not going to get into that. I think there’s no one change that [will affect] all of these situations. …