The position of Rachel Reeves, Britain’s most senior finance official, was the subject of growing speculation on Wednesday after she appeared visibly upset in Parliament as Prime Minister Keir Starmer declined to guarantee that she would keep her job. Mr. Starmer had previously committed to keeping Ms. Reeves in her role as chancellor of the Exchequer until the next general election, but when asked on Wednesday by Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition, to repeat that pledge, he avoided the question. But in an interview later with the BBC, Mr. Starmer said that Ms. Reeves had done “an excellent job as chancellor” and that she would continue in the post “for a very long time to come.”Ms. Reeves became chancellor last year amid high expectations. She was the first woman to hold the position, one of Britain’s great offices of state. She emphasized her credentials from previously working at the Bank of England and vowed to restore fiscal credibility to Britain after it was shaken by the tax and spending plans of the former prime minister Liz Truss.

Source: The Times July 02, 2025 18:39 UTC