MPs raise questions about Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ CV

The questions continued after PMQ, as reporters sought to put the prime minister’s official spokeswoman on the spot.

Asked if Sir Keir expected ministers to tell the truth on their CVs, she said the row “relates to the chancellor’s time before she was the chancellor”.

But she added: “The prime minister is very clear that what is most important is having a chancellor who is able to balance the books and who is able to be straight with the public and restore the public finances.”

And that was what Reeves had done, she told reporters.

Asked if the PM was committed to Reeves remaining chancellor for the rest of the Parliament, she said: “It’s never for me in my position to speak to cabinet appointments, but the chancellor very much remains the chancellor.”

Reeves has often sought to underline her economic credentials by pointing to the roles she held before becoming an MP.

However, the chancellor is facing claims that her role at Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) had more to do with administration and IT than economics.

Her biography on a Labour Party website from 2010 said: “Rachel has previously worked as an economist for the Bank of England, the British Embassy in Washington and at Halifax Bank of Scotland.”

In an interview from 2011 with the Independent,, external Reeves is described as working for HBOS’ retail division.