Latest news with #PrimeMinistersQuestions
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Investigating Gaza aid site deaths and cost of Afghan resettlement plan
Update: Date: 09:38 BST Title: Welcome Content: Matt MurphyBBC Verify senior journalist Good morning from BBC Verify Live. It's a busy morning here. Our fact-checkers, data journalists and verification specialists are working on these stories today: All that to come, and later our fact-check team will be gearing up for Prime Minister's Questions, where Sir Keir Starmer will be grilled by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch in the final clash before summer recess.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tears of the UK's treasury chief spooked financial markets
LONDON (AP) — The weekly session in which the British prime minister is questioned by lawmakers in Parliament can be an ordeal for the government leader. For Cabinet members, it's usually simply a matter of backing their boss. But on Wednesday the spotlight ended up on Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves during the Prime Minister's Questions session because it became evident that she was crying as she sat beside Prime Minister Keir Starmer. It's not known what triggered the tears, later said to have been personal. They came as Starmer sought to fend off attacks that his year-old government was losing its authority and that he was about to fire Reeves to regain the initiative. Markets spooked Traders got spooked, with the interest rate charged on the U.K.'s 10-year benchmark bond in the markets up sharply, and the pound down. The moves were a sign investors had lost confidence in U.K. financial assets. Reeves had become associated with fiscal discipline, in particular a rule of covering day-to-day government spending with tax revenue, said Andrew Wishart, an economist at Berenberg Bank. 'The markets are concerned that if the Chancellor goes, such fiscal discipline would follow her out of the door," he added. With Starmer insisting Thursday that Reeves would remain in post, the markets calmed down. Prime minister's weekly ordeal Prime Minister's Questions, or PMQs, can come as close to a gladiatorial contest as is possible in a modern legislative chamber. Very little deference is given to the man or woman holding the highest office in the land. The prime minister is considered the first among equals. Like all other members of Parliament, the prime minister represents one of 650 constituencies. And nowhere is that shared connection more noticeable than at noon every Wednesday in the House of Commons. Starmer stands for half an hour every week to be quizzed by friends and foes. He may get soft balls, but there's always a potential zinger around the corner. The leader of the biggest opposition party, currently the Conservative Party's Kemi Badenoch, has the best chance to knock the prime minister off course. With six questions, she can lay traps and go for the jugular. Typically it's more theater than substance, and the weekly shouting match is consistently the most-watched parliamentary event, viewed around the world, including on C-Span in the United States. This week was fraught This week's session appeared to have more at stake than usual following a chaotic run-up to a welfare reform bill. With scores of Labour lawmakers opposed, Starmer was forced to scrap key planks of the bill — at a cost, politically and economically. For a prime minister, with one of the biggest majorities in history, it was a sign of weakness. Many Labour MPs blame Reeves, for her rigid adherence to her budget rules. As usual, Starmer was flanked to his left by Reeves, who didn't look her usual self, clearly bloated around the eyes. Badenoch showed little mercy, describing Reeves as 'absolutely miserable' and a 'human shield' for Starmer. She asked Starmer whether he could repeat a pledge that Reeves would stay in her post until the general election, which has to take place by the middle of 2029. While praising Reeves' handling of the economy, Starmer didn't give that assurance, and it was around this point that Reeves wiped away a tear. 'How awful for the Chancellor that he couldn't confirm that she would stay in place," Badenoch responded. The immediate political aftermath Starmer's Downing Street operation faced questions over Reeves' teary appearance. Could it have been hay fever? Had Starmer told Reeves she would be fired for the government's recent woes, which has seen Labour's approval ratings slide? Starmer's press spokesman said it was a 'personal matter,' insisted Reeves was 'going nowhere' and had the prime minister's 'full backing.' Later, Starmer told the BBC that Reeves would be Chancellor for a 'very long time' and that it was 'absolutely wrong' to suggest her distress was related to the welfare U-turn. A day on Images of Reeves' agitated state were emblazoned across newspapers and remained a key item on the news agenda. Starmer repeated on Thursday that Reeves would remain Chancellor 'for years to come" and sought to explain why he hadn't comforted Reeves during PMQs. 'In PMQs, it is bang, bang, bang," he said at an event where he and Reeves hugged. "That's what it was yesterday and therefore I was probably the last to appreciate anything going on in the chamber.' Reeves appeared more like her usual self. 'People saw I was upset, but that was yesterday," she told Sky News. 'I guess the thing that is different from my job and many of your viewers is that when I'm having a tough day, it's on the telly.' Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tears of the UK's treasury chief spooked financial markets
LONDON (AP) — The weekly session in which the British prime minister is questioned by lawmakers in Parliament can be an ordeal for the government leader. For Cabinet members, it's usually simply a matter of backing their boss. But on Wednesday the spotlight ended up on Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves during the Prime Minister's Questions session because it became evident that she was crying as she sat beside Prime Minister Keir Starmer. It's not known what triggered the tears, later said to have been personal. They came as Starmer sought to fend off attacks that his year-old government was losing its authority and that he was about to fire Reeves to regain the initiative. Markets spooked Traders got spooked, with the interest rate charged on the U.K.'s 10-year benchmark bond in the markets up sharply, and the pound down. The moves were a sign investors had lost confidence in U.K. financial assets. Reeves had become associated with fiscal discipline, in particular a rule of covering day-to-day government spending with tax revenue, said Andrew Wishart, an economist at Berenberg Bank. 'The markets are concerned that if the Chancellor goes, such fiscal discipline would follow her out of the door," he added. With Starmer insisting Thursday that Reeves would remain in post, the markets calmed down. Prime minister's weekly ordeal Prime Minister's Questions, or PMQs, can come as close to a gladiatorial contest as is possible in a modern legislative chamber. Very little deference is given to the man or woman holding the highest office in the land. The prime minister is considered the first among equals. Like all other members of Parliament, the prime minister represents one of 650 constituencies. And nowhere is that shared connection more noticeable than at noon every Wednesday in the House of Commons. Starmer stands for half an hour every week to be quizzed by friends and foes. He may get soft balls, but there's always a potential zinger around the corner. The leader of the biggest opposition party, currently the Conservative Party's Kemi Badenoch, has the best chance to knock the prime minister off course. With six questions, she can lay traps and go for the jugular. Typically it's more theater than substance, and the weekly shouting match is consistently the most-watched parliamentary event, viewed around the world, including on C-Span in the United States. This week was fraught This week's session appeared to have more at stake than usual following a chaotic run-up to a welfare reform bill. With scores of Labour lawmakers opposed, Starmer was forced to scrap key planks of the bill — at a cost, politically and economically. For a prime minister, with one of the biggest majorities in history, it was a sign of weakness. Many Labour MPs blame Reeves, for her rigid adherence to her budget rules. As usual, Starmer was flanked to his left by Reeves, who didn't look her usual self, clearly bloated around the eyes. Badenoch showed little mercy, describing Reeves as 'absolutely miserable' and a 'human shield' for Starmer. She asked Starmer whether he could repeat a pledge that Reeves would stay in her post until the general election, which has to take place by the middle of 2029. While praising Reeves' handling of the economy, Starmer didn't give that assurance, and it was around this point that Reeves wiped away a tear. 'How awful for the Chancellor that he couldn't confirm that she would stay in place," Badenoch responded. The immediate political aftermath Starmer's Downing Street operation faced questions over Reeves' teary appearance. Could it have been hay fever? Had Starmer told Reeves she would be fired for the government's recent woes, which has seen Labour's approval ratings slide? Starmer's press spokesman said it was a 'personal matter,' insisted Reeves was 'going nowhere' and had the prime minister's 'full backing.' Later, Starmer told the BBC that Reeves would be Chancellor for a 'very long time' and that it was 'absolutely wrong' to suggest her distress was related to the welfare U-turn. A day on Images of Reeves' agitated state were emblazoned across newspapers and remained a key item on the news agenda. Starmer repeated on Thursday that Reeves would remain Chancellor 'for years to come" and sought to explain why he hadn't comforted Reeves during PMQs. 'In PMQs, it is bang, bang, bang," he said at an event where he and Reeves hugged. "That's what it was yesterday and therefore I was probably the last to appreciate anything going on in the chamber.' Reeves appeared more like her usual self. 'People saw I was upset, but that was yesterday," she told Sky News. 'I guess the thing that is different from my job and many of your viewers is that when I'm having a tough day, it's on the telly.' Pan Pylas, The Associated Press Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Telegraph
03-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Why Rachel Reeves cannot keep her personal and political lives separate
Rachel Reeves and her team are adamant that they will not reveal the mysterious 'personal issue' that caused her to cry during Prime Minister's Questions. She told reporters on Thursday she was 'not going into the details' of the matter, adding: 'It wouldn't be right or fair.' To state the obvious, it is unusual and far from ideal for the Chancellor of the Exchequer to openly weep on television as the Prime Minister defends his record in office. The scenes are a reminder that for a figure who, in her words, must get through her toughest days 'on the telly', separating personal and professional life is almost impossible. Her husband, Nicholas Joicey, is a career civil servant currently working as the second permanent secretary in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He is currently on a one-year secondment to Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government, after deciding last year to put some 'airspace' between himself and his wife in Westminster. The couple met in Washington, DC, when she was working there on a secondment in the British Embassy in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks. It was one of Ms Reeves' first jobs in politics, after receiving her big break with a role at the Bank of England. That job has since been the subject of controversy after it was revealed that she exaggerated the length of time she worked at the bank on her LinkedIn profile. Mr Joicey previously served as the director general of the Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat in the Cabinet Office, which is one of the most important teams of civil servants in the government. The couple ranked ninth on this year's list of 'power couples' by the news website Politico, behind Sir Keir and his wife who were placed seventh. Ms Reeves has previously described her husband as 'supportive' of her political career and helped with childcare when she returned to work five months after having her second child. Although she is now often private about her family, there have been glimpses of the woman behind the Iron Chancellor façade throughout her career. In 2013, she shared a photo on her professional MP Twitter seemingly from her maternity bed, holding her newborn daughter Anna – now 12. Harold was born two years later, the birth also announced to thousands of constituents and colleagues on social media. The family have a home in Dulwich, south London, which briefly appeared on the rental market after the election and moved into a grace-and-favour flat above 10 Downing Street. She also has use of Dorneywood, the Chancellor's country residence in Buckinghamshire, and the pair own a house in her Leeds constituency. Mr Joicey is, however, just one of the figures in Ms Reeves' personal life who also inhabit Westminster. On Wednesday as she left the Commons chamber still visibly upset, she reached for the hand of her sister and walked with her to her parliamentary office. Ellie Reeves, now the Labour Party chairman, is two years younger than the Chancellor and was elected seven years after her in 2017. 'It was our time growing up in the 1980s and 1990s that politicised both Ellie and me,' Ms Reeves told The Telegraph last year, admitting that she had 'not a political family at all, to be honest'. In a joint interview with her sister Ellie, the younger Reeves described Rachel as 'more like a pushy parent' than a sibling, and had made her do her homework when they were students in Beckenham. Their parents, Graham and Sally, were both primary school teachers and divorced when Ms Reeves was seven. The sisters told the New Statesman in 2023 that they were inspired by the 'Blair's babes' generation of female Labour MPs, which included Harriet Harman, Tessa Jowell and Oona King. However, their love for politics had started when they were much younger – when, aged 13, the Chancellor ran in their school's mock election and employed Ellie as her campaign manager. As a political duo, they also supported each other through the factional infighting of the Corbyn years, when Ellie faced calls for her deselection. 'We used to regularly get a recipe book out and spend an afternoon baking,' she told the magazine. 'Just having a chat about what was going on. It was a really big source of support.' Some people, perhaps including Ms Reeves, seemed surprised that she was unable to contain her feelings during PMQs. Those who know the 46-year-old MP professionally say she is used to putting on a front at public events. Her persona as the self-described 'Iron Chancellor' is quite unlike how she behaves in private, where she is known for cracking jokes and having fun. 'She has this infectious laughter,' Zofia Stemplowska, a friend of the Chancellor from Oxford, told The Telegraph last year. 'She is very funny. She is very perceptive. She is this warm, supportive person.' But when the cameras turn on, she usually projects a steely and authoritative image. It returned on Thursday, after a brief hiatus, when she appeared to endorse the Government's 10-year health plan with a rictus grin on her face. 'People saw I was upset, but that was yesterday,' she said. 'Today's a new day and I'm just cracking on with the job.'
Washington Post
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
How a tear or two spooked markets and dominated UK's political narrative
LONDON — The weekly session in which the British prime minister is questioned by lawmakers in Parliament can be an ordeal for the government leader. For Cabinet members, it's usually simply a matter of backing their boss. But on Wednesday the spotlight ended up on Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves during the Prime Minister's Questions session because it became evident that she was crying as she sat beside Prime Minister Keir Starmer .
