Rachel Reeves was shown the door by Andy Burnham in a major cabinet reshuffle, but political commentator Aaron Newbury argues she may have played a masterstroke that leaves Keir Starmer laughing.
Two Schools of Workplace Exit
Newbury outlines two schools of workplace exit: the dignified resignation and the sacking. Reeves, the teary chancellor, appears to have been handed the latter. Burnham, fresh from his march from Manchester to No 10, swept out the woman who recently ran the nation's coffers.
Reeves' Alleged Refusal of Another Role
Rumours rapidly swirled that Reeves was offered another role entirely—a "big job," according to Sky News bigwig Beth Rigby. Reeves turned her nose up at it. Newbury speculates the role might have been an ambassador to a sun-drenched outpost or a sinecure with a driver and title but no budget. Whatever it was, she said no.
Newbury suggests two explanations: either someone close to her is telling the press porkies, or Reeves was saving face. "Andy wanted me, I just didn't want him," she might have thought. This allows her to head off into the political wilderness with her legacy intact, content with one final slap in the face to the man who ousted her mate.
Impact on Starmer and Burnham
Keir Starmer will be laughing as Burnham's reshuffle may have backfired. Reeves' refusal of a big job spares her blushes and leaves Burnham looking less powerful. Newbury concludes that Reeves' exit, while seemingly a sacking, may actually be a masterstroke that benefits Labour by keeping internal tensions alive.
