Rachel Reeves hits again at critics – ‘sick of individuals mansplaining how one can be Chancellor’
Rachel Reeves also opens up about being tearful in the Commons at Prime Minister’s Questions in July, saying: ‘If I had that day again, I wouldn’t have gone into the chamber’
Rachel Reeves has hit back at her critics saying she is “sick of people mansplaining how to be Chancellor to me”.
In an interview just days before her make-or-break Budget, Ms Reeves said being negatively labelled “Rachel from accounts” by opponents also spurred her on. She said: “I recognise that I’ve got a target on me. You can see that in the media; they’re going for me all the time. It’s exhausting.
“But I’m not going to let them bring me down by undermining my character or my confidence. I’ve seen off a lot of those boys before and I’ll continue to do so.”
The Chancellor also opened up about being tearful in the Commons at Prime Minister’s Questions in July after a massive Labour revolt on welfare cuts. She said it was “her duty” to be beside Keir Starmer but said: “If I had that day again, I wouldn’t have gone into the chamber”.
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She told The Times magazine: “If you weren’t recording this, I’d tell you about what was going on, but I’m not saying that to the world. Most people have had a day at work when they go into the toilets and have a cry, or say to their boss, ‘I’m just going home early.’ Unfortunately, my difficult moment was on live television. I always go to prime minister’s questions — I thought it was my duty to be there — but if I had that day again, I wouldn’t have gone into the chamber.”
Her sister and Labour MP Ellie Reeves also described walking out of the Parliament with her the same day as the “worst moment” since entering politics. “It was so painful to see someone I love so upset and this was all so public,” she said.
The Chancellor added: “What at they really want to know is that they can trust me with their money, to run the economy.”I’m not a public personality. I’m not in showbusiness. I’m the chancellor. If you want people to enter politics, you have to remember they’re human beings. I’m a mum with two kids. I’m a wife and a daughter. I wasn’t born into this and I’m just trying to do my best.”
Ahead of her second Budget on November 26, Ms Reeves said the country could not continue on its current trajectory. But she admitted she was “not even sure any more what the popular path is” amid calls for a wealth tax from some politicians and heavy tax and spending cuts from others.
She said: “There are lots of people who say cut taxes and the economy will grow, but what spending would they cut?”
