Thrifty Rachel Reeves reveals £5 hack as she nips upstairs to Downing Street flat

Rachel Reeves has revealed she makes herself a modest lunch during her working day – as it’s “much better value than going to Pret”.

The Chancellor, who runs the public finances, revealed her frugal nature and said she nips upstairs to her flat in No11 Downing Street to make herself a cheddar cheese sandwich when she can. The thrifty Cabinet minister said “it doesn’t take long to make yourself a sandwich and you save £5 in the process”

Speaking to Sky News‘ Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Ms Reeves said her daily routine starts early with getting her kids ready for school. She then heads to her study downstairs where she reads her papers before her morning meetings. Yesterday she said: “Then I did a visit this morning to RAF Northolt, and then so living up to my sort of reputation of believing in value for money, I popped upstairs, made myself a cheese sandwich and had that for my lunch.”

Pressed on whether she makes her own lunch, she continued: “If I can, yes, because it’s much better value than going to Pret.” She admitted she sometimes goes to Pret but when she’s at home she’ll go upstairs and rustle up something up for herself.

It marked a stark difference to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch who in December declared that lunch is “for wimps” and sandwiches aren’t “real food”. She said she instead eats a steak while she works sometimes.

Sky News Presenter Beth Rigby joked with Ms Reeves that she doesn’t think sandwiches are for wimps then. A launching Chancellor replied: “No, I didn’t go upstairs and make myself a steak – I haven’t got that much time on my hands.”

Elsewhere on the podcast Ms Reeves spoke about her love of her job and how privileged she felt to be leading the Treasury. She gave an emotional answer when asked if negative media coverage grates on her – especially articles that dig into her past and whether she is qualified to be Chancellor – and whether she thinks it is sexist.

Ms Reeves said she was proud of her career in economics, adding: “I’ve spent all of my life defying expectations, proving something. And I still feel I’m having to prove it now, even though I’m Chancellor of the Exchequer. I remember one of my sort of earliest memories, and it didn’t feel political at the time, but I sort of think it is, I was about eight or nine years old, playing in this chess tournament, drawn against this boy about the same age.

“His mate came up and said: ‘Oh, lucky you, you’re playing a girl.’ Well, I beat him. But that was sort of all part for me of those sort of early learnings that people underestimate women. And they see a girl, they see a woman and I think, ‘oh, she’s going to be rubbish.’

“I spent all of my time when I was at school, in my early career, and now as chancellor, proving a point, that a woman, a girl from an ordinary background can do just as well, in fact, actually better than the boys. And I’m happy to carry on proving it and proving people wrong.”