Reeves is ‘toast’ as Starmer refuses to rule out sacking her

Keir Starmer declined to explicitly guarantee the position of Chancellor Rachel Reeves after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch pressed him in the Commons to carry out a reshuffle.

During a combative session of Prime Minister’s Questions, Badenoch urged Starmer to “reshuffle” his Cabinet and questioned whether Reeves still retained his full confidence.

The exchange prompted speculation over the Chancellor’s standing within government, with opposition MPs seizing on what they described as a lack of a clear endorsement from the Prime Minister.

Starmer, however, dismissed the line of questioning as political theatre, focusing instead on defending the Government’s economic record and accusing the Conservatives of seeking distraction from their own policy failures.

Badenoch said: “He’s got a welfare plan until 2031, but he’s not produced a defence investment plan, we have gone backwards on defence under him, because we are borrowing to pay for welfare.

“Yesterday, we learned that the cost of Government borrowing is now the highest in two decades.

“Instead of getting a grip on the economy, the Chancellor is briefing out rent controls to curry favour with left-wing backbenchers.

“It is time the Prime Minister gives her an easier job, so will he listen to businesses, listen to the country, and reshuffle the Chancellor?”

Starmer told MPs in the House of Commons: “In the spring statement, the Chancellor was very proud to say inflation was down to 3% and falling. We’ve seen the growth figures for the early part of this year.

Badenoch responded: “I didn’t hear him say he’s not reshuffling the Chancellor. It sounds like she’s toast.”

A Tory spokesman said: “Keir Starmer had several chances today to guarantee that the Chancellor would stay in post after the local elections. He didn’t.

“Everyone can see that Rachel Reeves is about to become the next person Starmer throws under a bus – another member of his government sacrificed for the Prime Minister’s terrible decisions.”

The remarks come amid ongoing tensions between the two parties over economic management, with both sides under pressure on issues including taxation, growth, and public spending.

No immediate Cabinet changes were announced following the session.