Chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing questions over her long-standing claim to have been a British junior chess champion, with a fellow chess player and academic accusing her of overstating her teenage achievement.
Dispute Over a Chess Title
The Labour MP has frequently referenced her success in chess, telling The Guardian directly in 2023: "I was the British girls under-14 champion." This claim has featured in her public profiles since at least 2011. Ahead of last week's Budget, the Treasury even released photos highlighting a chessboard on her desk.
However, Professor Alex Edmans, a finance expert at London Business School who represented England and Britain at chess and competed a year below Ms Reeves, has challenged the assertion. He points to records from the 1993 British Championship which show Emily Howard was the official girls' champion that year.
While Ms Reeves did win a separate, girls-only tournament run by the British Women's Chess Association (BWCA), Professor Edmans argues this does not equate to the title of 'British Girls U-14 champion'. "It is clearly defined as the girl who does best in the (mixed gender) British Championship," he told The Times. "She may well have won titles, but the title of British girls' champion is a specific event."
A source close to the Chancellor denied she had misstated her achievement, pointing to her BWCA win. BritBase records show Ms Reeves finished 26th in the open competition that included boys in 1993.
A Pattern of Scrutiny
This is not the first time the accuracy of Ms Reeves's personal and professional details has been examined. In February, the BBC reported that she had overstated the length of her tenure at the Bank of England on her LinkedIn profile, which she later updated.
The chess controversy surfaces as the Chancellor faces significant scrutiny over the government's economic messaging. Senior officials from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) have publicly clashed with the Treasury over what they call "unhelpful" and "misconceived" briefings appearing in the media before the Budget.
OBR Tensions and Budget Fallout
Professor David Miles of the OBR told the Treasury Select Committee that the watchdog had complained to the government about false impressions being fostered. He cited a particularly damaging suggestion that a forecast improvement allowing tax cuts was like finding money "down the back of the sofa," which made the OBR look like a "patsy" for ministers.
"It was clear there was lots of information appearing in the press which wouldn't normally be out there, and this wasn't from our point of view particularly helpful," Prof Miles stated. He suggested the chaotic briefing "exacerbated" economic damage by fuelling uncertainty.
The row culminated last week when the OBR's then-chair, Richard Hughes, took the unusual step of detailing exactly when economic forecasts were supplied, revealing Ms Reeves had talked up dire fiscal numbers even after receiving more positive data. The Treasury responded by saying it had received assurances such transparency would not be usual practice.
Mr Hughes dramatically resigned as OBR chair on Monday, ostensibly due to the early publication of Budget documents following a technical glitch, against a backdrop of severe tensions with the Chancellor's team.
