Rachel Reeves ‘told to attend voice training’ – ‘sound like a Dalek’ | Politics | News
Rachel Reeves has been urged to attend vocal training by Labor MPs concerned about her “robotic” public speeches, according to reports. The Chancellor has not had it easy since moving to Number 11 in July 2024, with positive ratings falling, threats from the right mounting and a series of global crises, the latest of which has wreaked economic havoc in the UK. But party members have another bone to pick amid fears the Leeds West and Pudsey MP will be perceived as “deadly serious and robotic” by the British public.
Some Labor MPs reportedly encouraged Ms Reeves to undergo “vocal training” in a bid to bring out her special “more relaxed, likeable and entertaining” side. Critics said his tendency to “freeze the public” fed his public image as “a cross between a Dalek and a damage assessor trying to explain why fire insurance did not cover a fire that destroyed the plaintiff’s home”.
A Labor Party official said: Daily Mail columnist Andrew Pierce: “Politics is about performance, and he can’t perform in public.”
The Chancellor fell to a -6% popularity rating in the latest internal party poll by news website LabourList, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer fared less well with just 3%.
The ongoing US-Israeli war in Iran has led to further economic turmoil for the Government; Experts warn of a blow to public finances if the conflict drags on.
Despite forecasts it would fall, borrowing rose to £14.3bn in February, £2.2bn higher than a year ago.
Ms Reeves also warned of a “double squeeze” as the war in the Gulf hurts Britain’s economy, cutting into tax revenues while also putting it under pressure to provide cash to struggling businesses and households.
Energy experts Cornwall Insight predict that the Ofgem price cap, which limits what suppliers can charge local customers, will rise to £1,973 a year for the average household; This represents an increase of £332 or 20% over the April cap.
The advisory initially predicted a £4 rise but revised the figure in response to conflict in the Middle East, including Iran’s attacks on a gas facility in Qatar and Iran’s attacks on the South Pars gas field, the world’s largest.
Craig Lowrey, Principal Consultant at Cornwall Insight, said: “Gas markets were already volatile and Israel’s attack on Iran’s South Pars field and subsequent Iranian retaliation has increased this instability.
“The ultimate scale of any increase in bills will depend on how long the disruption lasts, whether in July or further down the line.”
