UK politics live: Rachel Reeves hit by claims she exaggerated Bank of England job on CV
The BBC reported the chancellor left the central bank nine months earlier than she stated in her LinkedIn profile.
Her LinkedIn profile shows she worked at the Bank of England from September 2000 to December 2006. However, the BBC found she had left by March 2006 when she began working for Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) in West Yorkshire.
Ms Reeves has previously claimed in a 2021 magazine interview she spent a decade working at Threadneedle Street, while she told the Labour Party Business Conference last year she spent 'the best part of a decade' at the Bank.
A spokesman for the chancellor confirmed the LinkedIn profile was inaccurate and said the error was due to an administrative mistake.
It comes as Britain's economy unexpectedly grew in the final three months of last year after recession fears, but Ms Reeves said she was 'still not satisfied'.
Tories say they support government's backing of Ukraine in rare show of cross-party support
Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge told the Commons: 'We remain 100% steadfast in our support for Ukraine and in our backing for the Government delivering that, as they did when in opposition, and we agree in principle with them – as we also stressed repeatedly in government – it is for the Ukrainians to decide the timing and terms of any negotiations on ending the war.'
He added: 'Negotiations without the direct involvement of Ukraine would be unthinkable.'
Mr Cartlidge noted US President Donald Trump has been right to highlight that some Nato nations spend 'far below what is expected and required' on defence.
He also sought assurances that the UK Government would use 'every lever possible' to remind all Nato members that if Russian President Vladimir Putin is 'seen to somehow win from any settlement that may bring a temporary end to the conflict, but it will not make the world a safer place'.
Mr Cartlidge went on: 'Far from it, this would be an illusion of peace likely to send a very dangerous signal to other potential adversaries.'
Jabed Ahmed13 February 2025 11:49
Explained | What are the fake CV allegations made towards Rachel Reeves?
The BBC reported Rachel Reeves left the Bank of England nine months earlier than she stated in her LinkedIn profile. This means she spent five and a half years working at the bank despite publicly claiming to have spent the 'best part' of a decade there.
Ms Reeves has previously claimed in a 2021 magazine interview she spent a decade working at Threadneedle Street, while she told the Labour Party Business Conference last year she spent 'the best part of a decade' at the Bank.
Her LinkedIn profile shows she worked at the Bank of England from September 2000 to December 2006. However, the BBC found she had left by March 2006 when she began working for Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) in West Yorkshire.
The broadcaster unearthed a photograph of the chancellor in March 2006 alongside other HBOS staff at an annual lunch for the Council of Mortgage Lenders. A former HR lead told the BBC she recalled Ms Reeves' first day at HBOS, and that it was in March 2006.
The LinkedIn profile has since been updated. Her profile states she worked in three areas of the Bank over the six-year period she was employed there: its international economic analysis division, then at the British Embassy in Washington DC in the second secretary economic division, and finally in the structural economic analysis division.
After this it lists her time working for Halifax Bank of Scotland, then her political career following her election in 2010.
Jabed Ahmed13 February 2025 11:33
Rishi Sunak makes rare appearance in Commons to ask question on Ukraine
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak has urged the Government and its European allies to provide Ukraine with a 'military presence across land, air and sea', in the event of a peace deal.
During an urgent question on Ukraine, he said: 'Can I ask the minister if she agrees with me that in this new world, and in the event of any peace deal, that the United Kingdom and its European allies must lead in providing Ukraine military support and potentially military presence across land, air and sea, to give Ukraine confidence that any peace will endure?
'And can I assure the Government that it will have my support, if that's what it decides to do.'
Defence minister Maria Eagle replied: 'I can confirm that we aim to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position to enable it to negotiate, and that involves continuing to supply them with the arms and weapons that they need in order to fight, because fighting is still going on in a very fierce manner in that country.
'So we need to step up and make sure we do that.'
Ms Eagle added that 58% of aid and support received by Ukraine last year was from European nations.
Jabed Ahmed13 February 2025 11:31
Prime minister abandons housing development visit after farmers protest
Sir Keir Starmer was forced to cut short a visit to a housing development after a protest by farmers.
Around a dozen tractors and agricultural vehicles blocked the road near the Eastbrook development in Milton Keynes.
The Prime Minister abandoned planned media interviews due to the protest.
Jabed Ahmed13 February 2025 11:19
Rachel Reeves' spokesperson responds to exaggerated CV allegations
A spokesperson for Rachel Reeves said: 'As Rachel said on Good Morning Britain a couple of weeks ago when she was asked, she worked as an economist at the Bank of England between 2000 and 2006, including over a year at the British Embassy in Washington working in the economics section, and then she worked at HBOS from 2006 to 2009. She's proud of the jobs she did and experience she gained before becoming a Member of Parliament.'
Jabed Ahmed13 February 2025 11:08
Defence minister says she is glad support for Ukraine remains cross-party
Defence minister Maria Eagle, responding to an urgent question on Ukraine, told the Commons: 'Nato's job is to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position for any talks, but there can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine being involved.
'We want to see a durable peace and no return to conflict and aggression. That's the only way in which this war can end with the kind of security that President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have referred to.'
Jabed Ahmed13 February 2025 10:57
Breaking | Rachel Reeves 'exaggerated Bank of England experience on her CV'
Rachel Reeves 'exaggerated Bank of England experience on her CV'
Rachel Reeves exaggerated on her CV how long she worked at the Bank of England, it has emerged.
Jabed Ahmed13 February 2025 10:49
Pictured | Farming protest distupts Starmer's housing development visit
Jabed Ahmed13 February 2025 10:36
Starmer disrupted by noisy farmer protest
A group of tractor-driving protesters staged a noisy demonstration as Sir Keir Starmer visited a housing development in Buckinghamshire.
The vehicles could be heard sounding musical horns while the Prime Minister spoke to workers at the side.
Farmers have staged a series of protests following the inheritance tax changes in the budget.
Jabed Ahmed13 February 2025 10:24
Urgent question on Ukraine tabled in Commons
There will be an urgent question on Ukraine in the Commons at 10.30am. It has been tabled by shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge, and a defence minister will respond since defence secretary John Healey is at a Nato summit in Brussels.
It comes after Mr Healey warned that 'Russia remains a threat well beyond Ukraine' after Donald Trump claimed that he and Vladimir Putin had agreed to start talks on ending the conflict.
Jabed Ahmed13 February 2025 10:05
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'Our national broadcaster must apologise for its dissemination of this extremist vitriol, and those responsible must be removed from their positions,' a spokesperson said. Bob Vylan, who formed in Ipswich in 2017, have released four albums addressing issues to do with racism, masculinity and class. Bobby Vylan's real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, according to reports. He is listed on Companies House as the director of Ghost Theatre Records, which is operated by Bob Vylan. Kneecap performing on the West Holts Stage (Yui Mok/PA) Kneecap have been in the headlines after member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence. The group performed after Vylan's set on the West Holts Stage with O hAnnaidh exclaiming 'Glastonbury, I'm a free man' as they took to the stage. 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Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It is a proverb linked to wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill, but synonymous in recent times with popular culture in the form of the Spider-Man Marvel universe. It feels wholly appropriate that it could also be directed at another pop culture phenomenon that has taken over our screens and social media feeds over the past week – Glastonbury. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The reach of the music extravaganza at Worthy Farm in Somerset has become near unprecedented. Punk act Bob Vylan and Belfast hip-hop group Kneecap sparked controversy with their Glastonbury performances, with police confirming that they were assessing footage from the sets. Thanks to the BBC's wall-to-wall digital coverage, Glastonbury, which this year has featured acts ranging from the current Olivia Rodrigo to veteran rockers Rod Stewart and Neil Young, is no longer an event you need to be at to experience. In 2023, Glastonbury content was streamed a record 50.3 million times across BBC iPlayer and to BBC Sounds. It is a massive virtual platform – which is why the BBC should rightly face criticism for the scenes aired on Saturday. On the festival's West Holts Stage, English punk act Bobby Vylan led crowds in chants of 'death, death to the IDF'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Health Secretary Wes Streeting yesterday described the chants as 'appalling' and stressed the BBC and festival had 'questions to answer'. He said people should instead be talking about the humanitarian catastrophe in Israel and Gaza. 'All life is sacred,' he said. The BBC said a warning was issued on screen during Vylan's set about the 'very strong and discriminatory language'. The broadcaster has confirmed it has no plans to make the performance available on demand. Glastonbury festival organisers also said in a statement the chants during Vylan's set had 'crossed the line'. However, both the BBC and those behind Glastonbury must go further and embrace their 'responsibility' by reviewing their plans for and responses to a similar spectacle in future.
Daily Mail
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BBC chiefs 'should face charges' over Glastonbury... Outrage grows after broadcast of vile 'death to Israeli soldiers' chants
BBC bosses should be prosecuted for broadcasting a vile anti-Semitic outburst at the Glastonbury festival, the Tory party said last night. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the corporation 'appears to have broken the law' by transmitting a punk duo's calls for the deaths of Israeli soldiers. Top lawyer Lord Carlile said the BBC may have committed a criminal offence, while Sir Keir Starmer said the broadcaster had serious questions to answer. The growing backlash comes after the BBC live-streamed Bob Vylan's performance uninterrupted on its iPlayer site. It could now face an investigation into whether it has breached public-order laws. During Saturday's performance by the London-based pro-Palestinian duo, vocalist Bobby Vylan shouted 'Death, death to the IDF', the Israeli Defence Forces. He followed the chant, which was repeated by the audience, with 'From the river to the sea, Palestine... will be free' – regarded by many Jews as a call for Israel 's elimination. 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I'm very troubled they may have broadcast unlawful material under section 22 of the Public Order Act.' Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis said: 'Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for anti-Semitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.' But lawyer Mark Lewis, who specialises in libel cases, said the apology had come too late. He added: 'It is a bit rich that they try to lock the stable doors after the horse has bolted. Glastonbury was warned what was likely to happen and now it is likely there will be legal consequences.' Former Tory culture secretary Nadine Dorries said the BBC had 'serious questions to answer', adding: 'It is quite right that lawyers are asking whether the broadcasting of the chants made on the stage at Glastonbury have crossed the line into a criminal offence. Police should seek swift advice and take action immediately.' Dame Priti Patel, former home secretary and current Shadow Foreign Secretary, added: '[The BBC] no longer hold the respectability to claim the mantle of our national broadcaster.' Former Labour minister Lord Austin said: 'This weekend Glastonbury was turned into a sickening hate rally, and chants for death were beamed into millions of homes by the BBC. Bob Vylan, who formed eight years ago in London, refuse to reveal their real names because of what they call the 'surveillance state' Glastonbury had said all were welcome at the festival but added it 'does not condone hate speech or incitement to violence of any kind from its performers' 'Tim Davie must now launch an urgent investigation and fire those found to be responsible. He must understand this is a very dark day for the corporation that calls its very purpose and future into question.' Former director of BBC television Danny Cohen told The Daily Telegraph: 'The police should investigate, as should the BBC's board, led by chairman Samir Shah. How much longer can they tolerate the failings of BBC leadership on anti-Semitism and bias?' A spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: 'The BBC has surpassed even itself in endangering British Jews by airing this violent chanting. 'We are formally complaining to the BBC over its outrageous decision not only to broadcast Bob Vylan's calls for death and destruction, but also to place that segment on iPlayer along with Kneecap's performance, which the BBC knew in advance that it should not air. Our national broadcaster must apologise for its dissemination of this extremist vitriol, and those responsible must be removed from their positions. 'That includes Tim Davie... who has had more than enough chances to stop this abuse of licence fee payers' money to platform bigots and extremists.' Toby Young, president of the Free Speech Union, raised the case of childminder Lucy Connolly, who was jailed for tweets she made about deporting asylum seekers and burning down hotels housing them after the Southport killings of three girls at a dance studio. She is currently serving a 31-month sentence. He added: 'She caveated what she said by adding 'for all I care', whereas he [Vylan] clearly does care and wants every member of the IDF, which includes virtually the entire population of Israel, to be killed, so the case for prosecuting him is stronger. But to be clear, neither should be prosecuted.' Bob Vylan's performance was later removed from iPlayer. A BBC spokesman said: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. 'During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.' Avon and Somerset Police were approached for comment.
