Globalisation means that for a high-wage, developed economy like Britain's to compete we need to focus our efforts on the highly skilled, added-value sectors such as advanced manufacturing, creative industries, engineering and even financial services.

She then served as Ed Miliband's acting and later deputy chief of staff from September 2010 to April 2012. After Britain in Europe was wound down in June 2005 because of the referendum "No" votes in France and the Netherlands Lucy Powell worked for the non-departmental public body or quango NESTA (the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts) inititally in a public affairs role and later to establish and manage the Manchester Innovation Fund project. 2010
She was selected as Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Manchester Withington in April 2007 to contest the seat against the incumbent Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament John Leech for the 2010 general election.

Lucy Maria Powell (born 10 October 1974) is a British Labour and Co-operative politician and Member of Parliament for Manchester Central in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. She was elected at the Manchester Central by-election in November 2012.