Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she felt “uncomfortable” watching Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s response to the Budget, during which Mrs Badenoch mocked and impersonated her. In an interview with the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, Ms Reeves said she does not “like that sort of stuff” and prefers to focus on policies rather than personalities.
Mrs Badenoch used her Commons reply to call the Chancellor “spineless, shameless and completely aimless”, adding: “Let me explain to the Chancellor, woman to woman: people out there aren’t complaining because she’s female, they’re complaining because she is utterly incompetent.” The Tory leader also quipped, as Sir Keir Starmer and Ms Reeves exchanged words, “Is he mansplaining to you, by the way?”
Ms Reeves told Kuenssberg: “So, yes, I was a bit uncomfortable listening to that, because it’s not really the way that I behave, but people are entitled to deliver the Budget response that they want and she focused on personalities.” She said she tries to concentrate on policy rather than personal attacks.
Defending her remarks, Mrs Badenoch claimed Labour politicians had previously made personal attacks, including Ms Reeves calling Rishi Sunak a liar and others comparing Liz Truss to a lettuce. “But now it’s them and I’m merely talking about her competence. They can’t take it. They like to dish it, but they can’t take it,” she said.
The Conservative leader added: “My job is to hold the Government to account, not to provide emotional support for the Chancellor, and the people out there wanted someone to tell her she was doing a bad job.” She reiterated that Ms Reeves was “raising taxes to pay for welfare” and said the Chancellor “should resign”.
