Overview
- Rachel Reeves told Mumsnet she would not apologise for crying during Prime Minister’s Questions and said she regretted attending the session while upset.
- She said the tears stemmed from a personal issue, countering months of speculation about her job security after the incident.
- Downing Street said at the time that she had Keir Starmer’s full backing and that she was staying in post.
- During PMQs in July 2025, TV cameras showed the chancellor in tears, and reports said the pound fell and government borrowing costs rose after the footage aired.
- Reeves also defended Labour’s welfare changes by saying adjustments to the two‑child limit in Universal Credit will mean 450,000 fewer children in poverty, a figure she cites to show policy impact as the IMF warns of weaker growth, higher inflation and rising unemployment.