𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Rachel Reeves will be Chancellor for a “very long time to come”, Sir Keir Starmer has said after she was seen crying during Prime Minister’s Questions.

The Prime Minister said it was “absolutely wrong” to suggest the Chancellor’s visibly tearful appearance in the Commons related to the welfare U-turn, which put an almost £5 billion black hole in her plans.

“It’s got nothing to do with politics, 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 about that. It is a personal matter,” he added while speaking to the BBC’s podcast Political Thinking with Nick Robinson.

Asked if Ms Reeves would remain in her post, the Prime Minister said: “She will be Chancellor by the time this is broadcast, she will be Chancellor for a very long time to come, because this project that we’ve been working on to change the Labour party, to win the election, change the country, that is a project which the Chancellor and I’ve been working on together.”

Downing Street had earlier insisted Ms Reeves was “going nowhere” and will remain as Chancellor, after Sir Keir Starmer declined to give her a public show of support as he appeared at the despatch box.

Allies said she was dealing with a “personal matter” and No 10 said she had Sir Keir’s “full backing”.