Who is Rachel Reeves? Background, politician sister, husband and more revealed
As the Chancellor delivers her 2026 Spring Statement, here's her background and personal life details
Rachel Reeves is hoping to install confidence in the British economy with her 2026 Spring Statement, despite the government saying it will be a low-key affair.
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The chancellor will deliver an update to her spending plans on Tuesday, March 3, with the country having recorded slower than desired growth in its GDP and, although inflation has fallen, consumer confidence has fallen.
Following an Autumn Budget, that was marred by the Office for Budget Responsibility releasing its forecast early, Ms Reeves's time has come to be defined for many by the government's u-turns.
She holds an approval rating of 13%, according to a YouGov study, which also found that 59% of Brits feel she is doing a "bad job".
“It’s the worst Budget I’ve ever heard - and I’m 73, so I have been around for quite a few," was the view of Ms Reeves's own uncle Terry Smith, who spoke after the Autumn Budget in 2024.
Ms Reeves has repeatedly branded the UK economy a "mess" but has refused calls to resign.
She told Andrew Marr on LBC: "I am not going to walk away because the situation is difficult.
"I was appointed as Chancellor to turn our economy around, and I'm absolutely determined to finish that job."
Read also: Andrew 'must repay money if found to have misused taxpayer cash', Chancellor says
Who is Rachel Reeves?
Rachel Reeves is the chancellor of the exchequer, having been appointed by prime minister Sir Keir Starmer after Labour’s election victory in 2024.
Also MP for Leeds West and Pudsey, Ms Reeves’s role means she is “chief financial minister and as such is responsible for growing the UK economy, raising revenue through taxation or borrowing and for controlling public spending,” states her government profile.
What is Rachel Reeves’s background?
Rachel Reeves, 47, was born in Lewisham, south London, and became a member of the Labour Party as a teenager - campaigning ahead of Tony Blair’s victory in 1997.
After graduating from Oxford University, she worked in the Bank of England from 2000 to 2006 before moving to Leeds to work for the retail arm of the bank HBOS.
Ms Reeves was a paper candidate in the 2005 general election and won her current Leeds seat in 2010, having been selected by the party from an all-female shortlist.
During the Tory government, she served as chairman of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee from 2017 to 2020.
Is Rachel Reeves married?
Rachel Reeves is married to Nicholas Joicey, 55, who is Second Permanent Secretary and Group Chief Operating Officer at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Ms Reeves gave birth to their daughter in 2012, and son in 2015.
Who is Rachel Reeves’s sister?
Rachel Reeves’s sister is Ellie Reeves, who is also an MP and has represented Lewisham West and East Dulwich since 2017.
Ellie has recently been appointed solicitor general for England and Wales. She was seen comforting her older sister when Rachel Reeves was seen to cry during Prime Minister’s Questions earlier this year.
Other sibling MPs are Angela and Maria Eagle, while fellow Labour MPs Emma Foody and Alex Morris are married. Louise Sandher-Jones and Jeevun Sandher, both Labour MPs, are also married. Ellie Reeves’s husband John Cryer was an MP until the last election and is now a Lord.