Rachel Reeves reflected on a tearful moment she experienced in Parliament earlier this year, revealing, “If I could relive that day, I wouldn’t have attended.”
In July, Reeves, the Chancellor, ignited intense speculation regarding her political trajectory when she was spotted crying in the House of Commons while seated beside Sir Keir Starmer.
Reeves later disclosed that she was grappling with a “personal issue” during Prime Minister’s Questions, which led to her visible display of emotion.
This incident occurred shortly after she and Sir Keir were compelled to withdraw most of their welfare reduction plans due to significant opposition from Labour MPs.
Her emotional display caused unrest in the financial markets, with her distress sparking rumors about a potential departure from her Treasury position.
Now, over four-and-a-half months later, Reeves is poised to present her second Budget, marking her as Britain’s first female Chancellor.
In an interview with The Times ahead of her upcoming fiscal statement, Ms Reeves expressed her regret that her ‘difficult moment’ was televised.
‘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’, she said.
‘Unfortunately, my difficult moment was on live TV. I always go to PMQs – I thought it was my duty to be there – but if I had that day again, I wouldn’t have gone into the chamber.’
Rachel Reeves today opened up about her weepy appearance in Parliament earlier this year as she admitted: ‘If I had that day again, I wouldn’t have gone.’
The Chancellor sparked frenzied speculation about her political future in July when she was seen in tears in the House of Commons while sitting next to Sir Keir Starmer.
Ms Reeves later said she had been dealing with a ‘personal issue’ when she became emotional during Prime Minister’s Questions
On the reasons for her upset in July, Ms Reeves added: ‘If you weren’t recording this, I’d tell you about what was going on, but I’m not saying that to the world.’
The Chancellor added that ‘people don’t want to read about my recipe for Yorkshire puddings or what really made me cry’.
‘Well, they might,’ she said. ‘But what 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.’
Ms Reeves also spoke about the efforts of her and her husband, senior civil servant Nick Joicey, to protect their two children from the pressures of her job.
‘There are worse things to happen, I guess, than living in Downing Street,’ she said. ‘But it’s not normal and kids want to be normal.’
‘We don’t have the radio on during breakfast. We try to keep political stuff away from them.’
Ms Reeves also said she was ‘sick of people mansplaining how to be Chancellor to me’ as she prepares for her next Budget on 26 November.
After a chaotic U-turn on plans to raise income tax, Ms Reeves is expected to announce a ‘smorgasbord’ of other levy hikes on Wednesday as she scrambles to fill a multi-billion pound hole in the public finances.
As well as the climbdown on welfare cuts, the Chancellor has also been forced to partly reverse her controversial axing of winter fuel payments for pensioners.
On Labour’s record since winning power in July 2024, Ms Reeves admitted there had been ‘a couple of unforced errors’ but added: ‘We’re fighting to win.’
Both the Chancellor and Sir Keir are under intense pressure ahead of the Budget, with questions swirling about both of their political futures at Westminster.
Ms Reeves’ father, Graham, told the newspaper: ‘Rachel recognises it’s part of the job, but the pressure does seem to have been relentless, while much of it is also pretty unpleasant and unfair.
‘She’ll come through it because she’s always been a very determined and hard-working person. But some things hurt her, I think, more than she lets show.’
He added: ‘I’m her dad, not her political adviser, so all I would say is you have to remember she has her own family and they’re incredibly important to her.’
