'This week’s Question Time - a great example of a political debate show - exposed just how far off Reform are from a serious party', Labour Deputy Leader Lucy Powell writes11:27, 06 Jun 2026This week we’ve seen Reform getting increasingly desperate with polls showing their Right-wing rivals, Restore, doing better than expected in the Makerfield by-election.‌We saw this in their response to the murder of Henry Nowak, whose dying moments caught on police bodycam, shocked us all.‌The Nowak family have acted with unbelievable dignity and they have been really clear they do not want his murder used to sow division or for political point scoring. We respect that. There are clearly lessons to be learned for the police and wider society.‌Instead of respecting the wishes of the family, Nigel Farage, toured the studios and used his rare Prime Minister’s Question, to do exactly what they’d asked him not to. As Keir Starmer so powerfully called out in Parliament.Under pressure on his Right flank, Mr Farage feels no remorse or responsibility to the family. Instead he’s looking to whip up grievance and hate, and in turn support for himself, as he watches Reform’s early lead in the Makerfield by-election slip into a big deficit.‌Andy Burnham is running a positive campaign about how he’ll stand up for the towns and villages there, on his record of delivery as an effective Mayor of Greater Manchester and as someone who the working class communities in this part of Wigan feel is on their side. This is what I’ve been hearing on the doorsteps there, and it’s working.The shine is well and truly coming off Reform. Former Labour voters are being attracted back, while Restore, backed by foreign support from Elon Musk, are using the Reform playbook against them.This week’s Question Time - a great example of a political debate show - exposed just how far off Reform are from a serious party. Their self-styled “plucky-plumber” may be up to being a councillor, but he’s miles off what it takes to be an effective local MP. He struggled to answer any question about what he would do or how he would change anything.‌And once again their basic vetting of candidates has left them wanting. The moment of the night was the audience member calling him out to loud applause - that she’d rather have a career politician than a plumber who is sexist.As well as being wrong and divisive, they just don’t care about playing by the rules. Whether it's Farage not registering a £5 million ‘gift’, Richard Tice not paying his tax, or the murky crypto donations they receive. Their behaviour is getting found out. They don’t deserve to win this crucial by-election, and I’m confident the good people of Makerfield know that too.'Decent pay, security and dignity for workers'One of the things I’m proudest of from the Labour Government is the Employment Rights Act. Getting decent pay, security and dignity at work is the foundation to a fair and strong economy, as well as improving people’s living standards. We’ve changed the laws but now some measures need bringing into effect.‌One is ensuring that your contract reflects the hours you are regularly working - moving away from terrible zero-hours contracts, which give employers so-called flexibility but leave workers high and dry. So, soon you will be able to get a proper contract guaranteeing regular hours - giving regular income and helping access credit, mortgages and tenancies.This is how we build a fair economy but also means that the state doesn't end up under-writing “flexibility” by topping up short hours through benefits.'We must be proud of England team'I might disagree with some of Thomas Tuchel’s decisions for the England squad - Phil Foden in particular - but I’m fully behind him, Harry Kane and the team as the World Cup kicks off this week.Article continues belowI’ve been watching James Graham’s excellent Dear England, which shows the immense pressure we put on the England team. Yes, we want to win every time, but it is only a game, and we should be proud of the team!'Women in politics more than a stand-in for men'This week I subbed in for Andy Burnham on Matt Forde’s Political Party Live at the Duchess Theatre. As a woman in politics, I am more than a stand-in for a man!It was a good chance to rib the blokes too - for THOSE rather tight-shorts, and Keir’s penalty taking. We covered serious stuff too, some of which is making the news.