to believe Rachel Reeves was crying because

[LargeDeviation]

1. she was upset when Lindsay Hoyle told her to keep her answers short

2. she had an argument with Keir Starmer (possibly about her keeping her job, or about how to handle the inevitable questions about the new £5.5bn per annum black hole) just before PMQs

3. Keir Starmer refused to say she would keep her job in front of the whole country. If he genuinely wanted her to stay, he would just say 'of course she's going to still be Chancellor' and that would be that.

4. she is under immense pressure because she knows she will have soon to breach her fiscal rules, she knows she is responsible for many of the decisions that will lead to that, and she knows the how serious the consequences of her failure will be. We have seen recently (even just today) how vicious the bond market can be.

In short, I believe she was crying because of professional pressures (understandable ones, though largely of her own making, and about which I have little sympathy) and not nebulous 'personal' reasons.

If her parent or partner or child or grandparent or pet is ill the natural thing is to just say 'sorry, a close relative is in hospital and my emotions got the better of me'. Everybody would understand. You don't need huge reams of evidence but you need to give the bare bones of an explanation. She is trying to style it out but we can all see through it.

I will apologise if I'm wrong but long experience shows that 'personal reasons' almost always means 'I'm skiving or jobhunting' when a colleague in the workplace uses it to excuse their time off.

I believe it means even less when uttered by a politican.

Councillors are public servants, not civil servants. Civil servants are non partisan employees of central government who implement government policy and advise ministers.

No she’s not crashed the economy but the rich are going. No doubt about that. Many do pay their share and they are fed up with the constant attacks and others fleecing the system they put most into. London and the SE pays most in tax. Look at where pip payments are highest. It’s a way of life for some young people. RR knows the benefits are not sustainable. 1 in 10 people get them. She knows we cannot afford this but the backbenchers don’t care.

All Chancellors are under absurd pressure at times. She is no different. There was no stock market crash. No pandemic. No strikes. No three-day working week or power cuts. Not crashing out of the European exchange rate mechanism. No credit crunch.

With the eyes of the world and the market on her.

Crying at work doesn't equate not being good at your job.
I thought the SNP response really made Kemi Badenoch look unpleasant.

What an odd thing to say. Are you quite alright? I would much prefer that the government was successful in its measures to get some sort of tenuous grip on the situation so that families don’t end up in the sort of position they’ll be in when the UK’s cost of borrowing becomes untenable.

I think you’ll find that it’s the people celebrating today’s bill having been gutted who are gleeful about the destruction of the welfare state as we know it. They just don’t realise it.

You can respond with more emotional nonsense but I’m afraid that the maths doesn’t care about your feelings or anyone else’s. If this continues then disabled people will be in REAL trouble.

is that your best point! Well done on the reasoned response 😂

Good riddance to the tax dodgers if they are leaving.....the type of people who leave because a centre left government is in power aren't the type who pay their full taxes anway. They are welcome to go and sponge off another country.

Banking is a sector that requires logic. Politics defies it.

It's politics. How was she supposed to know it was personal? It's literally her job to needle the PM and Chancellor at PMQs. I do have sympathy for Reeves but she should have chosen not to be there. By being there she's spooked the bond markets, plunged the government into crisis and ticked the country a notch closer to bankruptcy.

Rubbish. If you were upset at work would it be okay for HR or your manager to tell everyone why? Of course it wouldn't.

Winning the last election was a poisoned chalice for Labour. I rather think being Chancellor is a job that will make anyone unpopular, 99% of the time, and people who take the job should be aware there is a high likelihood that they will become unpopular and no longer a viable elected representative.

In a way though, I do think that Labour is coming up against a reality that they don't often acknowledge when they are in aopposition. That is, there isn't, in fact, enough money to do everything they want to have done. And that even to do what needs to be done they need to create a lot of productivity.

You need to re-read what I wrote. Local government officers are also civil servants and are required to follow council directions. One council CEO has refused to follow the direction of her Reform-led council in flagrant breach of democratic control.

Starmer prods and sneers at Badenoch every week. No apologies there. @placemats

Agree with you @shinyhappytits

If she were a Tory she wouldn’t get so much sympathy here. She is incompetent. There is nothing much to say.

And overeaction of the day goes to.....
What an overreach to say that Rachel Reeves shedding a few tears over a personal matter is going to make the country bankrupt.
I think Kwasi Kwateng did more for that.....

They do, statistically we in Wales are the biggest tax dodgers, benefit claimants. We must be better at filling in forms

Better than the tosh you've come out with. You can't reason with...

Yep she’d be torn apart on mn.

Could you post a link/links for that? I follow politics and that passed me by. Sounds despicable

I agree completely.

Councillors are not civil servants. You need to improve your research.

I'd be interested in a link for that too. Thanks.

Hilarious. Yes good riddance to those self-sustaining, money spending, job creating lowlifes that have been sucking up all the UK’s cash. Can’t wait to replace them with yet more boat people and benefits claimants. Do you often lack a sense of irony?

I am the appointee for a disabled adult. 100% cannot work, has full time care.

Today, first time ever, I’ve had a call from DWP letting me know there will be a review of his Benefits.

The person who phoned was so inarticulate with difficult to understand English. I was trying not to be dismissive but they sounded like an overseas scammer. Every 3rd word was “like” and diction was terrible. I was able to confirm it was real, they had also sent a message via UC, badly written sentences - no capital letters where should be caps. Full stop mid sentence - ffs, who are they employing!!

I’m interested to know what they are looking for - want “all bank statements” for last 4 months and any other assets (none).

I hope they don’t cut back his bens, he does not live luxury life. And, trust me - cannot work.