She has made several misleading claims about different topics, from tax plans to her past achievements, and many are now being questioned. Here are some examples:
Winter Fuel Payment: After criticism over cutting the Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners, Reeves said she didn’t want to remove it but had no choice. However, a 2014 video shows her proudly talking about plans to scrap it, claiming it proved she could make “tough decisions.”
National Insurance: Before the election, Reeves repeatedly said Labour would not increase taxes for “working people,” including income tax, National Insurance, and VAT. But in her Budget, she increased employer National Insurance by £25 billion. This cost is now being passed on through job cuts, lower wages, or higher prices—affecting working people.
Tax Changes: During her campaign, Reeves said higher taxes weren’t needed and that economic growth was the priority. Yet, in her autumn Budget, she introduced the biggest tax increases since 1993. Despite this, she has distanced herself from her own earlier statements.
Economic “black hole”: After the election, Reeves claimed she discovered a £22 billion gap in government finances and used it to justify tax hikes. But Paul Johnson from the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies pointed out that this issue was clear to anyone who looked closely before the election.
Her career at HBOS: Reeves claimed to have worked as an economist at HBOS (which owns Halifax bank). However, she later had to correct her LinkedIn profile when it was revealed that her job was actually running a small administrative complaints department that also handled IT issues.
Her career at the Bank of England: In 2021, Reeves said she spent a decade working as an economist at the Bank of England and loved it. In reality, she worked there for five and a half years, including a year she took off for further studies.
VAT on private school fees: Reeves told the media that “every single penny” of the £1.5 billion raised from adding VAT to private school fees would be spent on state education. But in reality, the money goes into the general tax fund, not directly to schools.
Her academic work: Reeves claimed to have published research in the prestigious Journal of Political Economy. However, it was later revealed that her work was actually published in the less well-known European Journal of Political Economy—and was co-authored.
Plagiarism in her book: Reeves’s book, The Women Who Made Modern Economics, was found to have over 20 instances of plagiarism. She copied full sentences and paragraphs from other sources without giving credit, as reported by the Financial Times.
Her chess achievements: Reeves claimed to have been the British Under-14 Girls Chess Champion. But according to the website Guido Fawkes, she only participated in the British Under-14 Championship, finishing 26th. The year before, in the Under-13 category, she came 29th.
Expense claims (Part 1): In 2015, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) suspended Reeves’s official credit card after she tried to claim £4,033.63 in expenses that were not valid—the third-highest amount among MPs involved. This from someone who says she knows how to manage a £2.7 trillion economy.
Expense claims (Part 2): A BBC investigation revealed that a whistleblower accused Reeves of using company money at HBOS to buy handbags, perfume, earrings, and wine. She denies knowing anything about it. It’s unclear if she’s telling the truth, but her record raises doubts.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about Rachel Reeves is that she has managed to stay as Chancellor for seven months. But if her Spring Statement on March 26 includes more questionable claims, she might not last much longer.
I wonder how her CV will describe her time as Chancellor—brilliant, dazzling, highly praised, world-changing?
