2 h. ago Readers’ letters: Labour rebels were elected with a welfare reform mandate

A reader says Rachel Reeves’ tears would be understandable if they were about Labour rebels wrecking her work to reform the benefits system

Politics

12 h. ago Rachel Reeves says she cannot rule out autumn tax rises after ‘damaging’ week

Exclusive: Chancellor says she never considered resigning and warns ‘there are costs’ to welfare bill U-turnRachel Reeves has said it is impossible for her to rule out tax rises in the autumn budget and insisted she never thought about quitting despite a turbulent week for her and the government.In an interview with the Guardian, the chancellor said “there are costs” to the watering down of the welfare bill and acknowledged it had been a “damaging” week for Downing Street. Continue reading...

Politics

18 h. ago Crying in the Commons: why are women’s workplace tears a source of shame?

Rachel Reeves’s distress may help destigmatise an emotional response to pressure or professional frustrationRachel Reeves’s tears this week triggered a fall in the pound and attracted widespread derision from political columnists, mostly male. “What is wrong with Rachel Reeves?” the Telegraph asked. In an article headlined “The meaning of the chancellor’s tears”, a New Statesman columnist told readers that Reeves’s authority was “beginning to melt away”. The Daily Mail spoke disdainfully of her “waterworks”.But in the longer term the chancellor’s display of distress may prove to have an unexpectedly positive legacy, helpfully normalising a still hugely stigmatised phenomenon: women’s tears in the workplace. Continue reading...

Politics

25 h. ago Who’s really to blame for Labour’s troubles – Rachel Reeves or the invisible PM? | Gaby Hinsliff

The Treasury focuses on numbers when what’s needed is vision. The party and the country are crying out for leadership, but it’s nowhere to be seenShe is not the first chancellor to cry in public, and may not be the last. But Rachel Reeves is the first whose tears have moved markets. No sooner had the realisation dawned that she was silently weeping – over a personal sorrow she won’t be pushed into revealing, she insisted later, not a political one – as she sat beside Keir Starmer at Wednesday’s prime minister’s questions, than the pound was dropping and the cost of borrowing rising. The bond traders who forced out Liz Truss’s hapless chancellor still clearly rate her judgment and want her to stay, even if (perhaps especially if) some Labour MPs don’t. Yet it is an extraordinary thing to live with the knowledge that a moment’s uncontrolled emotion can drive up the cost of a nation’s mortgages, just as a misjudged stroke of the budget pen can destroy lives.The most striking thing abou...

Events

38 h. ago RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: Everyone is talking about Rachel Reeves and her tears... but we're all missing the REAL story on the outrageous scam that shames Britain

You're lucky to have me today. I had planned to take my new, taxpayer-subsidised Audi A8 long wheelbase job out for a spin.

Events

40 h. ago In Pictures: Tearful politicians showing their sensitive side

Rachel Reeves became tearful during PMQs on Wednesday, but she’s far from the first politician to cry over the years.

Politics

40 h. ago Rachel Reeves talks about 'tough day' as she speaks about her tears in the Commons

The Chancellor has addressed the issue which sparked a large amount of speculation on Wednesday, July 2

Politics

41 h. ago A year that ends in tears: Rachel Reeves's time in number 11 is no cause for celebration

City confidence in her is rock bottom — and Rachel Reeves’s high wire act is just one misstep away from a full blown financial crisis, says Jonathan Prynn

Politics

41 h. ago Keir Starmer speaks out on Rachel Reeves’ tears in the House of Commons

The Prime Minister spoke about Chancellor Rachel Reeves' emotions during PMQs

Politics

42 h. ago Could Chancellor's tears SAVE her career? Pollster says show of emotion could boost Rachel Reeves' popularity like Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign

Luke Tryl, the UK director of More In Common, pointed to how a similar show of emotion by Hillary Clinton 'humanised' her during her 2008 presidential campaign.

Culture

42 h. ago Rachel Reeves says she was having a 'tough day' when her tears sunk markets... and insists she is still 'totally' up for being Chancellor

Chancellor Rachel Reeves insisted she was dealing with a 'personal issue' but refused to give details as she spoke about the extraordinary scenes in the Commons for the first time.

Politics

42 h. ago Over half of Britons have cried at work, so why are Rachel Reeves's tears so divisive?

When Rachel Reeves cried in the House of Commons yesterday, her emotion was enough to shake the financial markets. But when the majority of Britons have cried at work, why does it still shock us so much?

Politics

42 h. ago The toll it takes: Looking back at the times MPs cried in the Commons amid mystery over Chancellor Rachel Reeves' tears during PMQs

Looking back at times MPs shed tears in the House of Commons

Politics

43 h. ago Rachel Reeves refuses to explain reason for her tears in House of Commons

The Chancellor said she had been "upset" but added she was "not going to go into the details of that."

Politics

43 h. ago Rachel Reeves says her tears were NOT caused by spat with Speaker or PM as she hints at 'personal issue'... and is still 'totally' up for being Chancellor

Chancellor Rachel Reeves was flanked at the event in London by Keir Starmer - who gave her an awkward hug - and Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

Politics

44 h. ago Rachel Reeves all smiles as she's seen for first time since PMQ tears with Keir Starmer

Chancellor Rachel Reeves had a tearful moment during a fiery session in Parliament yesterday, with financial analysts spooked by her appearance resulting in a drop in the value of the pound

Politics

45 h. ago Voices: Kemi Badenoch’s lack of empathy over Rachel Reeves’s tears will come back to haunt her

Neither her party nor the public seems to like the Badenoch style, writes Sean O’Grady. Her tasteless lack of empathy for the chancellor is indicative of a leadership marked by arrogant dismissiveness

Politics

45 h. ago Keir Starmer set for major announcement after Rachel Reeves appeared tearful in PMQs

Keir Starmer is set to unveil a brand new 10-year plan for the NHS – despite his speech being focused on fixing the NHS he is expected to face numerous questions on his Chancellor Rachel Reeves

Politics

45 h. ago Reeves is 'fine' and will be Chancellor 'into next election', says Starmer after her PMQs tears hit markets

The Prime Minister said he spoke to Ms Reeves on Wednesday evening and she is ‘fine’

Politics

45 h. ago Why Starmer finally came out to give his full backing to his tearful chancellor

After Rachel Reeves’ tears and a complete failure by the prime minister to appreciate the gravity of his situation in PMQs, Sir Keir Starmer had to intervene quickly prevent the markets being spooked further, says David Maddox

Politics