MPs raise questions about Rachel Reeves' CV

Chancellor Rachel Reeves's CV came nether the spotlight astatine Prime Minister's Questions, pursuing claims she had embellished immoderate of her past achievements.

Reeves has antecedently said she worked arsenic an economist astatine Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) earlier entering politics.

However, her illustration connected the networking tract LinkedIn has been changed to accidental the relation astatine HBOS was successful retail banking.

Tory MPs Graham Stuart and Alex Burghart - who was lasting successful for absorption person Kemi Badenoch astatine the play Commons league - and Reform UK's Lee Anderson each made notation to the enactment erstwhile putting questions to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.

Rayner was lasting successful for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who is successful Brazil for a G20 acme gathering of the world's richest countries.

Burghart raised a laughter connected the Tory benches with a jibe astir "real economists", arsenic helium accused the authorities of "stoking" inflation.

"This greeting we had City economists, existent economists, saying that adjacent twelvemonth ostentation would deed 3%," helium told MPs.

Later successful the session, Anderson, asking astir changes to inheritance taxation for farmers, said: "Does the lawman premier curate hold with maine that this determination should beryllium thrown successful the trash tin on with Rachel from accounts' CV?"

Rayner deflected the question with a gag astir Anderson's ain career.

"He talks astir CVs, it's bully to spot [Anderson] doing good connected his - erstwhile a Labour councillor past a Tory MP and present Reform main whip," she said.

"Every clip helium switches party, helium gets a promotion."

A fewer minutes later, Conservative Graham Stuart said each MPs "recognise the authenticity" of Rayner's backmost communicative including her clip moving arsenic a carer.

Stuart past referenced caller cases wherever radical had got into occupation for lying astir their acquisition and achievements.

In June, Nick Adderly, the main constable of Northamptonshire Police was sacked for exaggerating his naval fertile and magnitude of service.

And past month, a pistillate was jailed for 5 years aft lying astir her acquisition and qualifications to get a occupation arsenic a elder caregiver successful a portion for sick and premature babies.

Stuart asked if Rayner agreed that "serious consequences are close and conscionable successful specified cases".

"I cognize wherever helium is trying to spell with this," replied Rayner earlier going connected to support Reeves.

"Our chancellor successful the past 4 months has shown much competence that the past 4 chancellors helium had," she said.

The questions continued aft PMQ, arsenic reporters sought to enactment the premier minister's authoritative spokeswoman connected the spot.

Asked if Sir Keir expected ministers to archer the information connected their CVs, she said the enactment “relates to the chancellor’s clip earlier she was the chancellor”.

But she added: “The premier curate is precise wide that what is astir important is having a chancellor who is capable to equilibrium the books and who is capable to beryllium consecutive with the nationalist and reconstruct the nationalist finances.”

And that was what Reeves had done, she told reporters.

Asked if the PM was committed to Reeves remaining chancellor for the remainder of the Parliament, she said: “It’s ne'er for maine successful my presumption to talk to furniture appointments, but the chancellor precise overmuch remains the chancellor.”

Reeves has often sought to underline her economical credentials by pointing to the roles she held earlier becoming an MP.

However, the chancellor is facing claims that her relation astatine Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) had much to bash with medication and IT than economics.

Her biography connected a Labour Party website from 2010 said: "Rachel has antecedently worked arsenic an economist for the Bank of England, the British Embassy successful Washington and astatine Halifax Bank of Scotland."

In an interrogation from 2011 with the Independent, Reeves is described arsenic moving for HBOS' retail division.