Why was Rachel Reeves crying?
Rachel Reeves seemed moved to tears during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday with Kemi Badenoch saying she looked “absolutely miserable”.
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The chancellor appeared upset as she sat next to Sir Keir Starmer in the Commons and held hands with her sister Ellie Reeves, Labour’s chairwoman and minister without portfolio.
Labour’s leader had been defending its welfare reforms when the exchange commenced.
Ms Reeves appeared tearful while the prime minister was speaking after being questioned by Ms Badenoch, the leader of the opposition.
Here is how the events unfolded.
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Why was Rachel Reeves crying?
The exchange began with Ms Badenoch questioning her opposite number about unemployment, which she said has risen under Labour.
“She looks absolutely miserable,” Ms Badenoch said of Ms Reeves.
“Labour MPs are going on the record saying the chancellor is toast and the reality is that she is a human shield for his incompetence.
“In January, he said she would be in post until the next election. Will she really?”
Sir Keir stood up and replied that it was Ms Badenoch who would not be in a job. Rather than answering her question, however, he defended his party’s record on the economy and blamed problems on the oft-quoted £22bn “black hole” inherited last July from the Conservatives.
“How awful for the chancellor that he did not confirm she would be in post,” Ms Badenoch said.
Ms Reeves wiped away a tear while Sir Keir was speaking and in the aftermath, the value of the pound declined. LBC has learned that bookmaker Coral has stopped taking bets on whether the chancellor would still be in her post before the end of September.
Statement released about ‘personal matter’
The chancellor’s office said afterwards in a statement: “It’s a personal matter, which – as you would expect – we are not going to get into. The chancellor will be working out of Downing Street this afternoon.”
Labour say chancellor will stay on
Shortly afterwards, Labour released another statement to say that Ms Reeves would be staying in her role.
“The chancellor is going nowhere,” a spokesman for the party said. “The chancellor has the prime minister’s full backing. He has said it plenty of times.
“They are focused entirely on delivering for working people. It’s thanks to the chancellor’s management of the economy that we have managed to restore stability, which has led to four interest rate cuts, wages rising faster than inflation and a spending review investing in Britain’s national renewal.”
Reeves seen in animated exchange
It was then revealed that Ms Reeves had been seen by MPs having an “animated exchange” with speaker Lindsay Hoyle not long before she was seen crying.
Labour MP Rachael Maskell told LBC: “I could see that Rachel Reeves was very distressed. I don't know what was behind it, but that was really concerning.
"I don't know why she had to sit through PMQs. I think it would have been the kindest thing for her to have just perhaps not turned up in the first place.”