LondonThe British prime minister may endure a lot during the weekly session in which members of Parliament interrogate him or her. Typically, Cabinet members only need to support their boss.
However, Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, was the center of attention at Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions session since it was clear that she was crying while sitting next to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The cause of the tears, which were later said to be personal, is unknown. They arrived as Starmer tried to counter accusations that his government, which had been in power for a year, was losing its power and that he was going to fire Reeves in order to recover control.
Markets are frightened.
With the pound declining and the interest rate on the U.K.’s 10-year benchmark bond rising substantially, traders became alarmed. The actions were an indication that investors no longer trusted financial assets in the United Kingdom.
According to Andrew Wishart, an economist at Berenberg Bank, Reeves had come to be seen as a symbol of fiscal restraint, specifically the principle that daily government expenditures should be paid for with tax money.
The markets are worried that such fiscal restraint would follow the Chancellor out the door if she were to leave,” he continued.
The markets settled after Starmer insisted on Thursday that Reeves would stay in his position.
An ordeal for the prime minister every week
In a contemporary parliamentary chamber, Prime Minister’s Questions, or PMQs, can resemble a gladiatorial match as closely as feasible. The person in charge of the nation’s top office receives very little respect.
Among equals, the prime minister is seen as the most important. The prime minister represents one of 650 seats, much like every other member of Parliament. And nowhere is that common bond more apparent than in the House of Commons on Wednesdays at noon.
Every week, Starmer stands for 30 minutes to answer questions from both friends and enemies. Even though he might get soft balls, a zinger could come up at any time.
The prime minister is most likely to be deflected by the head of the largest opposition party, Kemi Badenoch of the Conservative Party. She can set up traps and get right to the point with just six questions.
The weekly yelling match, which is broadcast globally, including on C-Span in the US, is regularly the most watched legislative event. Usually, it’s more theater than substance.
This week was tense.
After a turbulent run-up to a welfare reform measure, it seemed that there was more at risk in this week’s session than normal. Starmer had to sacrifice important aspects of the bill at a political and financial cost due to the opposition of numerous Labour lawmakers.
It was a display of weakness for a prime minister who had one of the largest majorities in history.
Reeves is held accountable by many Labour MPs for her strict adherence to her budgetary regulations.
Starmer was flanked to his left by Reeves, who was obviously swollen around the eyes and didn’t appear like her normal self.
Badenoch exhibited no pity, calling Reeves a human shield for Starmer and utterly wretched. She requested that Starmer reiterate his promise that Reeves would remain in her position until the general election, which must be held by mid-2029.
Around this time, Reeves wiped away a tear as Starmer, who had praised Reeves’ handling of the economy, failed to provide that assurance.
“How terrible for the Chancellor that he was unable to verify that she would remain in her position,” Badenoch said.
The immediate political fallout
Reeves’ teary visage raised concerns about Starmer’s Downing Street operation. Was hay fever the cause? Had Starmer threatened to remove Reeves over the government’s recent problems, which have caused Labour’s popularity to decline?
The prime minister fully supported Reeves, who was going nowhere, according to Starmer’s press spokesman, who also claimed it was a personal affair.
Starmer then told the BBC that it was completely incorrect to imply that Reeves’ sorrow was connected to the welfare U-turn and that she would be Chancellor for a very long time.
One day later
Newspapers featured pictures of Reeves’ disturbed demeanor, and the story continued to be a major focus.
In an attempt to clarify why he hadn’t consoled Reeves during PMQs, Starmer reiterated on Thursday that Reeves will continue to serve as Chancellor for many years to come.
At a gathering where he and Reeves had an embrace, he declared, “In PMQs, it is bang, bang, bang.” “I was probably the last to notice anything that was happening in the chamber because that’s what it was yesterday.
It was Reeves looking more like herself.
She told Sky News, “People saw that I was upset, but that was yesterday.” I suppose the difference between my job and many of your viewers is that I watch television when I’m having a bad day.
