 "Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves appears tearful during the Prime Minister's Questions (PMQ) session in the House of Commons. AFP")
It’s not often you see politicians crying in public; at least not in Parliament. But that’s exactly what happened on Tuesday as UK’s Chancellor Rachel Reeves was seen in tears during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons.
Soon after the emotional scenes unfolded in the House of Commons, it became a huge talking point on social media with many criticising the Chancellor. The markets also reacted immediately, with the value of the pound plummeting against the dollar due to uncertainty over Reeve’s future in the role.
But what triggered Reeves to cry? Was it the hard questions being posed during the PMQs, was it a personal issue as her spokesperson stated, or was it a row with another Labour MP that caused the chancellor to break down emotionally?
What unfolded in the House of Commons?
The session in the House of Commons on Tuesday was set to be fiery as the Keir Starmer-led government U-turned over key welfare spending cuts, wiping out a multibillion-pound boost to public finances and triggering speculation that Chancellor Rachel Reeves could lose her job.
Starmer’s U-turn has left an almost £5 billion black hole in Reeves’ plans, leading to the possibility that she will have to raise taxes, something that she has repeatedly ruled out.
And as session began, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch laid into the government over its own U-turns. She charged that the chancellor would now have to raise taxes “to pay for his incompetence” and asked if she would still be chancellor at the next election.
Badenoch then added that Reeves looked “absolutely miserable”.
“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?” challenged Badenoch.
The British PM, however, dodged the question and replied that Badenoch “certainly won’t”. To which, she responded, “How awful for the Chancellor that he couldn’t confirm that she would stay in place.”
Amid this back and forth, Chancellor Reeves was spotted wiping tears away from her cheek. As the session came to an end, Reeves was seen holding her sister, Ellie Reeves’ hand in an apparent show of support.
Was tiff with Speaker the reason for Reeves’ tears?
Some sources note that Chancellor Reeves’ tears was a result of a bust-up she had with PM Starmer just before arriving in the chamber. However, the office of the PM and the chancellor has denied this claim. Reports of a bust-up with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner were also denied.
However, other sources speaking to various news outlets pointed to the fact that Reeves had earlier been chastised by Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle for giving long answers during Treasury questions.
It is reported that during the questions in the House of Commons, the Speaker had asked her three times to be more brief in her answers. The Telegraph notes that on the third time, he interrupted her and she replied: “Oh, alright then.”
When asked about her tears and the so-called disagreement with the speaker, Reeves’ team refused to comment, arguing that it was “a personal matter”. “As you would expect, we are not going to get into,” her spokesman said.
What came next?
Soon after the Chancellor’s emotional moment, dubbed as ‘waterworksgate’ by some, social media was abuzz — some criticising Reeves, others extending comfort to her.
One social media user wrote, “I actually want to see Rachel Reeves cry more.” Another added on, “Oh no Rachel Reeves is pretending to cry. It’s a circus. Eastenders is more believable and does considerably less damage.”
But some also came out in her defence. One X user wrote, “It doesn’t matter what you think of Rachel Reeves this is a picture of a woman who has been crying a lot and overnight too to have such swollen eyes. Leave her alone. She’s a politician yes, but she’s a human being in distress. It’s not ok to demand to know why or make her account for it.”
Away from social media, Reeves’ tears also saw an impact on the UK markets. The pound dropped by one per cent against the dollar, ending its strong run against a weaker US currency. Moreover, borrowing costs also soared in one of the biggest single-day moves since October 2022 when markets were in turmoil after former Prime Minister Liz Truss’ mini-budget, which eventually led to her downfall.
How has PM Starmer reacted?
Following the drama, British PM Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said extended support to his finance minister, saying she would remain in her role for “a very long time to come”. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Political Thinking, Starmer said that Reeves was “doing an excellent job as chancellor”.
He further insisted that Reeves’ tears had “nothing to do with politics”.
When pushed on the welfare U-turns, he responded, “That’s absolutely wrong. It’s nothing to do with what’s happened this week. It was a personal matter for her, I’m not going to intrude on her privacy by talking to you.”
Downing Street has also said Reeves has the PM’s “full backing”. Asked why Starmer did not confirm in the Commons that he still had faith Reeves, the PM’s press secretary said: “He has done so repeatedly.
“The Chancellor is going nowhere. She has the prime minister’s full backing.”
The secretary also added, “He has said it plenty of times, he doesn’t need to repeat it every time the Leader of the Opposition speculates about Labour politicians. The Chancellor and the prime minister are focused entirely on delivering for working people.”
With inputs from agencies