Pictures of a weepy UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves in parliament dominated the newspaper front pages and TV news earlier this week.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves in Tears During Heated Parliamentary Session
London, UK – Pictures of a visibly emotional Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, dominated British newspaper front pages and television news earlier this week after she was seen crying during a turbulent session of Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.
The striking images showed Ms. Reeves wiping away tears while seated next to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The display of emotion came at a politically fraught moment for the Chancellor, whose position has been under intense scrutiny following a significant government U-turn on welfare cuts. The policy reversal has reportedly left a £5 billion hole in the nation's finances, a key area of her responsibility.
During the heated exchange, the Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch, directly challenged Prime Minister Starmer on whether he could guarantee Ms. Reeves would remain in her post. The Prime Minister's response, while supportive, did not offer a direct affirmation at that moment, which appeared to coincide with the Chancellor's emotional reaction.
In the aftermath, a spokesperson for the Chancellor stated that she was dealing with a "personal matter." Speaking to broadcasters the following day, Ms. Reeves acknowledged her emotional state, saying, "Clearly I was upset yesterday and everyone could see that. It was a personal issue and I'm not going to go into the details of that." She added, "I guess the thing that maybe is a bit different between my job and many of your viewers' is that when I'm having a tough day it's on the telly."
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has since publicly backed his Chancellor, expressing his full confidence in her and dismissing any speculation about her job being at risk. He reiterated that her emotional moment was due to personal reasons and not related to the political pressures of her role.
The incident sparked a wide-ranging public and media discussion, with some commentators expressing sympathy for a politician showing human vulnerability under immense pressure, while others questioned the stability of the government's economic policy. The financial markets showed a brief, negative reaction to the images, with a dip in the value of the pound, though it later recovered. Newspaper front pages across the political spectrum featured photographs of the Chancellor, highlighting the dramatic and unusual nature of the event in the often-combative arena of British politics.
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