The now ex-Chancellor Rachel Reeves received a furious call from Andy Burnham last September, according to The Mail on Sunday. The call left Reeves 'screaming and shouting down the phone' at Burnham after the then-Greater Manchester Mayor triggered a financial shockwave that sent UK borrowing costs soaring. In a frantic attempt to protect her economic credibility, Reeves demanded Burnham retract radical comments in which he demanded Britain stop being 'in hock to the bond markets'.
'My phone's not stopped ringing!' a terrified Reeves reportedly shrieked. Burnham hit back: 'Rachel, I simply don't believe you.' The clash set in motion a nine-month feud that ended in a Downing Street bloodbath following Sir Keir Starmer's downfall last week.
Desperate attempts to cling to power
Insiders revealed that Reeves went to extreme lengths to hold onto her job as Burnham prepared to return to Westminster. She lobbied supermarkets to cap food prices and pushed for rent freezes. Hours after missing Starmer's resignation speech, she was spotted applauding and taking selfies with Burnham. She also promised regional leaders control over national tax shares to prove her 'Burnham-ite' credentials.
Despite her lobbying, Reeves was dismissed by the new Prime Minister and replaced by John Healey. She was offered a demotion to Education, which she rejected. The position was given to Manchester Central MP and close Burnham ally Lucy Powell, who will divide her time between London and the Prime Minister's new 'No 10 North' hub in Manchester, alongside Angela Rayner.
Family dynamics and aftermath
Reeves was pictured drowning her sorrows alongside Sir Keir at a pub in Kentish Town, laughing 'like demented hyenas' as they sang karaoke on their final night in power. Meanwhile, her sister Ellie Reeves was promoted to Attorney General in Burnham's new Cabinet, sparking fears of a Miliband-style feud after details emerged of an 'almighty row' between the sisters at a child's birthday party, which ended with Rachel storming off without her shoes.
Friends downplayed the split, with a loyal backbencher insisting: 'Rachel is delighted for Ellie. It’s lovely to see her get such a brilliant chance in the area she is an expert in.' Allies insist the former Chancellor has 'loads more to give' and could plot a dramatic second act, but she now retreats to the backbenches as MP for Leeds West and Pudsey.
