Rachel Reeves FINALLY addresses the day she cried at PMQs… and says she won’t apologise for it

The Chancellor finally spoke on the day he cried at the PMQs; He insisted that not everyone would ‘apologise’ for sometimes ‘getting overcome with emotion’.

Rachel Reeves spoke of a “stressful time” in an interview with Mumsnet on Tuesday; Here, he was also asked about social aid and slow economic growth.

It follows extraordinary scenes from July last year when the 47-year-old arrived at the House of Commons with puffy eyes, sitting next to Keir Starmer, tears streaming down both cheeks and her lower lip trembling.

Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts presented the Chancellor with a series of questions from users on the online chat forum.

One such query was: ‘Hi Rachel, you were photographed crying at PMQs last year and this must have been a stressful time for you.

‘Do you now regret this incident or do you think people should be judged less for often showing understandable emotions in the workplace?’

Ms Reeves smiled at the question and admitted she ‘regretted going to PMQs’.

He added: ‘But you know, if I had known this was going to happen, of course I wouldn’t have gone.

TV cameras captured brutal footage of the self-styled ‘Iron Chancellor’ wiping away tears as Sir Keir Starmer dodged questions about whether he was safe in his job

‘I predict that many of your Mumsnet users will have had a day at work where they felt overwhelmed by their emotions for one reason or another.’

The chancellor also stated that his job was ‘different’ because ‘the TV cameras were on when this happened’.

But she added defiantly: ‘So I’m not going to apologize for crying.

‘I don’t think people should do this.’

But Ms Reeves concluded: ‘But I think I’ll stay in the office next time I want to do this.’

Ms Roberts replied: ‘Are you lying awake at night kicking yourself for leaving?’

The Chancellor laughed at this and said: ‘I have enough to worry about now; There’s conflict in the Middle East rather than the pictures where I look a little sad.’

Ms Reeves’ collapse in the House of Commons comes as her position is under intense scrutiny following a humiliating U-turn on the Government’s benefit cuts in the face of a rebellion by Labor MPs.

When asked about his upset appearance, a spokesman for the Chancellor said it was a ‘personal matter’ and ‘we will not go into it’.

The tearful display prompted Downing Street to issue a statement confirming Ms Reeves had Sir Keir’s ‘full support’ and was ‘not going anywhere’ despite speculation about her future.

However, the pound fell sharply and the government’s borrowing costs rose as rumors spread that Labor could head for the exit, taking its remaining financial credibility with it.

Rachel Reeves smiles and admits she ‘regrets going to PMQs’ when asked about her tearful breakdown

In an interview with Mumsnet today, Ms Reeves was also seen exploring charity grants. Mrs. Reeves and Justine Roberts were photographed

No 10 flatly denied claims of an angry showdown between the Prime Minister and the Chancellor; Reports of a dispute with then-Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner were also denied.

But a Whitehall source said the Chancellor had revealed he was feeling the heat following what had been a disastrous period for the Government.

Despite his obvious distress, the Prime Minister did not appear to speak to Ms Reeves, who emerged from parliament for two-hour crisis meetings with MPs.

It was left to the Chancellor’s sister, Ellie Reeves MP, to console him; The two sisters left the hall hand in hand.

In an interview with Mumsnet today, Ms Reeves was also seen exploring welfare benefits.

One person asked: ‘Can you please list the groups of people who are feeling better at the moment, apart from welfare claimants and unions?’

Ms Reeves insisted that ‘the whole point of the welfare state is to be there when you need it’.

He said: ‘I think this sort of ‘people on benefits and people not on benefits’ – it’s not that simple.’

He added that ‘the wages of those working in public services should be paid appropriately’.

Asked about stagnant economic growth, Ms Reeves said: ‘Our country has been through some very difficult years and we are starting, we are putting policies in place to start turning that around and we have the right plan, the right economic plan.

‘If you look at last year, we were the fastest growing European country in the G7, salaries have increased above inflation every month since I became Chancellor.

‘And from the start of this month, 450,000 fewer children will be in poverty than before because of our changes to the two-child limit on Universal Credit.’

The UK economy is expected to grow by just 0.8 per cent this year as rising energy prices hit households and businesses already strained by Labour’s tax hikes, a damning report today revealed.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves (left) and IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva

The International Monetary Fund’s growth forecast is 0.5 percentage points lower than predicted in January, marking the largest downgrade among G7 countries.

The IMF also reduced next year’s outlook by 0.2 points to 1.3 percent.

He also warned that inflation in the UK would move towards 4 per cent, while unemployment would reach 5.6 per cent.

This would be the highest rate since early 2015, surpassing the peak of 5.3 percent seen during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The IMF added that the global recession could be worsened by a ‘close call’ if the war intensifies.

The predictions shatter Labour’s promise to make Britain the fastest-growing country in the G7 and mock the Chancellor’s claims that he has put Britain in a ‘stronger position because of the choices the government has made to build economic stability’.

Ms Reeves, who attended the IMF’s spring meetings in Washington DC this week, insisted she had ‘the right plan for a more unstable world’ and urged others to follow her lead.

But to make matters worse, the IMF said it expected living standards in the UK to rise only marginally this year, with per capita output rising by just 0.3 per cent – the weakest level in the G7.