Rachel Reeves ridiculed over boast she will be able to ‘stability the books’ | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Rachel Reeves has been ridiculed for claiming she had been taught to “balance the books at the kitchen table” as critics pointed out she once had her parliamentary credit card suspended after running up over £4,000 in debt.

In an interview with the Telegraph, the Shadow Chancellor reflected on her upbringing and the life lessons she learned as a child from her mother.

The Lewisham-born MP told the publication: “We weren’t poor but we didn’t have money to spare and she wanted to make sure that everything added up.

“I remember sitting there at the kitchen table and saying, ‘What are you doing?’ and her explaining to me. I’ve always felt that it’s really important to look after your own money.”

The feedback have been picked up by eager observers who observe that the previous Bank of England economist was one in all 19 MPs to have her official bank card suspended after racking up four-figure money owed.

MPs are issued bank cards by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) to cowl bills for issues like journey and lodging. They then must reveal that the spending was warranted or they incur money owed.

When Ms Reeves was Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, she had her official card suspended for incurring money owed of £4,033.63. She had cleared her money owed on the time of the 2015 report.

The report was highlighted by Aaron Bastani – chief at left-wing media outlet Novara – when he took to X to mock the 45-year-old’s claims she may be trusted to stability the nation’s books.

Sharing side-by-side screenshots of Ms Reeves’ Telegraph interview and the report outlining her bank card suspension, Mr Bastani wrote: “The jokes write themselves.”

Ms Reeves suffered related mockery earlier this 12 months after claiming she struggled to get by on her £86,000-a-year wage.

The MP for Leeds West informed GB News she “winces” when she seems at her financial institution assertion on the finish of every month and finds “the money coming in is increasingly short of the money going out”. She earns £86,000 earlier than tax and her husband, senior civil servant Nick Joicey, was incomes between £170,000 and £174,999 in 2022.

A Tory supply criticised the would-be Chancellor of the Exchequer amid the most recent backlash, telling Express.co.uk: “If the shadow chancellor can’t manage her own finances, how on earth does she expect the public to trust her with the economy?”