Rachel Reeves crying in the House of Commons

[IdaGlossop]

AIBU to think it's possible to feel sympathy for Rachel Reeves for being visibly upset at Prime Minister's Question Time today, even if you revile Labour and its policies?

Lots of misogyny on Twitter - the UK is a laughing stock because of the behaviour of menopausal women in the Commons (including an example of Stella Creasy with her baby in a sling asleep and another of Angela Rayner flashing); women can't hack it etc etc.

I can only imagine it must feel dreadful to know the world has watched you in distress and that the financial markets have reacted because of fears of government instability. The phrase 'bring your whole self to work' is a piece of HR speak I can't abide but what we saw today was Rachel Reeves doing just that. Despite my sympathy for her, it would have been better all round for the upset part of her to have stayed in her Downing Street flat.

I don’t understand the point you’re making.
I’m not taking sides here, although I have previously been and probably no longer am a labour voter.
What I mean is that there needs to be more joint endeavour and compassion in politics. A focus on the good of all, and a stop to the shouting and carrying on - on all sides. A bit of understanding that we’re all human.
As long as this tit for tat, playground approach continues, our hopes of getting out of the mess we’re in are quite small.

All those Labour supporters making excuses. Labour are doing a terrible job, RR is completely out of her depth and is lurching from crisis to crisis. Just wait until the next budget and it will get far worse (for her!)

I also dont buy the 'personal issue'. I suspect they said that to try and close the conversation down. I think she was crying because she is shit at the role she has been employed to and its all getting on top of her.

Quite honestly she is unsuitable with limited experience for a role like this. Where is the experience? I do think though Starmer didnt realise what was going on behind him (for 45 mins) which I guess says that he is in his own orbit and stuff anyone else. I didnt wonder if Kemi noticed what was happening and could have called out the issue to Starmer.

Have you seen the posts on KB, if she’d said anything about it there would be meltdown on here.

I agree generally. She’ll stay and the budget is the next hurdle.

Ok, but you thought Kemi Badenoch and the Tories were “horrible”. You didn’t criticise anyone else.

We can all agree that politics is an unpleasant business. But if you’re calling for higher standards don’t you think it would be best to condemn all parties and not just the “horrible” Tories?

Otherwise it looks as though you only want higher standards of conduct towards, and not by, Labour.

Since it was obviously Starmer who threw Reeves under a bus and made her distressed and tearful, wouldn’t condemnation of him be more appropriate? Or perhaps of the Labour backbenchers who forced RR into an impossible, career-ending position?

She’ll have to break her word come the Autumn. There is no confidence left in RR’s stewardship of the economy.

I wonder if Kemi could have said that RR was clearly upset whilst speaking and then Starmer would have to turn around and see what was going on. There was one chap behind Reeves who did put his hand on her shoulder as he knew she was upset. She dismissed him and said she was fine and on we went.

I have relative in PR and she says distract and distract. Use the words 'personal issues' and then hope that no one will pry. The thing is if it really was a family illness then why not say it and then move on. Oh wait - you cannot say anything because actually it isnt true! The worst she could have said is that it was all just getting too much and everyone hated her hence the tears.

The thing is if it really was a family illness then why not say it and then move on.

Because it’s a personal issue, you’ve no idea what the issue was and nor do I but I can certainly think of things in my own life I wouldn’t want to share with the worlds press, and anything she did say would give ammunition for the press to go digging.

To be accurate, what I really said was “the way it played out … was horrible”. I said the Tories were smirking and Keri was making fun.
I wouldn’t call somebody horrible, even if their behaviour struck me as such. I’m not bothered what political party anyone is in or supports - correct behaviour is correct behaviour regardless.
”We have more in common…”

We have no idea if there is a genuinely personal issue. None.

There might be. But if there is, nobody’s offered any sort of explanation, however sparing or discreet.

So everyone’s entitled to question the truth of this. If it turns out that there is no ‘personal issue’, just distress at her professional circumstances, I think Starmer should apologise for lying, or resign.

If it's a personal issue that statement should be enough. People are entitled to a private life.
Did we ever find out who Charlotte Owen is?

I couldn't do her job. I would also cry. I give her a hug

I don’t think either of your examples support your argument so no, it does not help.

Everyone gets upset, overwhelmed and under pressure at some point. I know from personal and close family/friends. They may cry to a colleague, at home, consider quitting but rally etc. But to cry whilst working with or in front of clients (in this case the general public) is bizarre, esp when it was a collective failure - in this case with the PM.
If it was personal, then you excuse yourself. She has potentially done more harm to her party and herself by being there.

Having an affair with doesn’t make you incompetent at your job or cheater/liar at work- very odd correlation to make.
Those are just the two people you know. Of course, it’s different if you are abusing your position as a superior or sleeping your way to the top.

Incidentally, I have never had/would have an affair, didn’t vote Tory or Labour, am not eligible for PIP, WFA and I am not a business owner so have not been affected by her policies.
I don’t think KB covered herself in glory but it is her job to point out weaknesses in the opposition- another reason RR should not have been at PMQs.

Why? Why should that be enough, in the face of obvious doubt?

If the press are told privately they respect that and make clear there are good reasons for discretion. Just as with Blair’s genuine family issues. Nobody’s been told about Reeves’s issues. Why not?

What’s Charlotte Owen got to do with anything? What a load of complete conspiracy bollocks.

Her sister seemed fine.

Her cat might have been run over

I'm not a huge fan of any politician but frankly anyone in any high power job shouldn't be sobbing at work - it's completely unprofessional and makes her look ridiculous.

Seriously?

As far as I can see the financial markets took a wobble as they were worried that she would leave her job. Which tbh is quite a positive shout for out chancellor.,

I think they were more worried that the PM is proving yet again that he’s a spineless fool and might be pushed around by a load of no-mark backbenchers.

Absolutely. It’s very clear that the markets like political stability.

I've seen many disabled people in tears because of her, worried for their future I've even heard of some thinking about suicide because if her. My sympathy is for them not the person who caused it.

Unfortunately OP, Labour have form for picking women that do women a disservice.

They ruin it for all women. By perpetuating the assertion about diversity hires. The three examples you mentioned are terrible representatives of female ‘talent’.

No, that doesn’t seem to be the general consensus.

It’s concern over excess borrowing if someone else were to do it. We’re pretty much at the limit.

As EasternStandard said, the issue is spending and borrowing - debt.

Starmer being pushed around wouldn’t matter to the markets if the issue wasn’t about debt (though it would matter to the UK electorate about a hopeless, weak and incompetent PM generally). But it is about debt, and the lending risk. We’re now in dangerous territory.