Chancellor Rachel Reeves was visibly tearful during Prime Minister’s Questions as Sir Keir Starmer refused to guarantee her position following Tuesday night’s chaotic welfare vote.
Tears rolled down the Chancellor’s cheek as Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch grilled the Prime Minister about the government’s last-minute welfare U-turn that has left a £5 billion black hole in spending plans.
A Labour minister claimed Reeves had an “altercation” with Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle moments before entering the chamber.
“She had an altercation with Lindsay [Hoyle] just before PMQs. They had a row. I think he ended up apologising to her,” the unnamed minister told reporters.
The Speaker’s office declined to comment when asked about the reported incident.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner was seen checking if Reeves was okay during the session, while the Chancellor periodically wiped away tears and her bottom lip trembled.
Badenoch told MPs that Reeves looked “absolutely miserable” and challenged Starmer to confirm whether she would remain Chancellor until the next election.
The Prime Minister dodged the direct question, responding only that Badenoch “certainly won’t” be in post.
“How awful for the Chancellor that he couldn’t confirm that she would stay in place,” the Conservative leader responded.
As Reeves left the Commons chamber, her sister and Labour Party chair Ellie Reeves took her hand in an apparent show of support.
The emotional scenes followed Tuesday night’s dramatic Commons vote where 49 Labour MPs rebelled against the government’s welfare reforms, marking Starmer’s biggest rebellion to date.
Ministers were forced to abandon key elements of the welfare package at the eleventh hour to avoid defeat.
Stephen Timms stunned MPs by announcing the government would drop plans to restrict Personal Independence Payment eligibility from next year.
The climbdown means the government has abandoned all the savings initially sought from the reforms, creating an almost £5 billion shortfall in Reeves’ fiscal plans.
“This is the first prime minister in history to propose a bill which saves money, who ended up with a bill which actually cost money,” Badenock said.
Political correspondent Christopher Hope said he had “never seen anything like it” at PMQs.
I’ve never seen anything like it, a prominent minister so visibly upset next to the Prime Minister during PMQs,” he told GB News.
A Treasury spokesperson said: “It’s a personal matter which, as you would expect, we are not going to get into.”
“The Chancellor will be working out of Downing Street this afternoon.”
Following the session, Downing Street insisted Reeves “is going nowhere” and has the Prime Minister’s “full backing.”
“The Chancellor is going nowhere. She has the Prime Minister’s full backing,” the Prime Minister’s press secretary said.
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.
Another minister sought to reassure colleagues about the Chancellor’s state.
“She’s totally fine. I’ve just been to her office and spoken to her and she’s fine. There’s nothing to worry about,” they said.
The welfare rebellion has been the most significant challenge to Starmer’s authority since becoming Prime Minister.
More than 120 Labour MPs had initially backed a “reasoned amendment” to block the legislation before the government’s concessions.
The reforms had aimed to save £5 billion annually by tightening eligibility for disability benefits and cutting Universal Credit health elements.
Critics argued disabled people had not been properly consulted and warned the changes would push 250,000 people into poverty, including 50,000 children.
The emotional Commons scenes have fueled speculation about tensions within the government as it grapples with difficult fiscal decisions.
A Downing Street source told one outlet: “She can’t survive this. It’s not tenable for the Iron Chancellor to be in tears on the front bench.
The government now faces questions about how it will fill the fiscal hole left by abandoning the welfare savings.
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