What Happened To Rachel Reeves? UK Prime Minister 'Ignored' Chancellor As She Breaks Down During Labour Meet

The job of a politician often gets a bad wrap, being regularly described by the public as 'arrogant,' 'corrupt,' 'self-serving,' and 'out of touch'–but sometimes we are reminded that politicians are human beings like the rest of us.

As was the case on Wednesday, when Chancellor Rachel Reeves could be seen crying for a prolonged period of time during the midday PMQ session.

Those around her showed no signs of remorse or concern, including the Prime Minister who was sitting right beside her.

MPs sitting across from the chancellor and those up in the press gallery watched the tears roll down the chancellor's face for half an hour before PMQs ended.

'It was horrible to watch,' a cabinet minister on the conservative bench told the BBC.

Reeves then rushed out of the room, accompanied by her sister and fellow Labour minister, Ellie– Keir Starmer none the wiser as to the chancellor's distress.

Starmer Claimed To Be Clueless About Reeves' Upset

While Reeves sat next to the Prime Minister with tear-stained cheeks, he remained completely oblivious until after PMQs had ended and an aide suggested he check on his chancellor.

Starmer expressed surprise–he was unaware she'd been crying at all.

The PM later told Sky News that he 'didn't appreciate' Reeves was crying because the weekly Prime Minister's Questions sessions are 'pretty wild.'

'It wasn't just yesterday–no prime minister ever has had side conversations during PMQs. It does happen in other debates when there's a bit more time, but in PMQs, it is bang, bang, bang. That's what it was yesterday,' he said.

'And therefore, I was probably the last to appreciate anything else going on in the chamber, and that's just a straightforward human explanation, common sense explanation,' he added.

A cabinet minister also sitting next to Reeves admitted to not noticing her emotional state.

'I didn't notice anything was up,' they told the BBC.

Why Was Reeves Crying?

Leader of the opposition Kemi Badenoch took Reeves' crying as an opportunity to take a stab at the PM. She called Reeves a 'human shield for his incompetence,' and claimed 'Labour MPs are going on the record saying that the chancellor is toast.'

Reeve has since confirmed that her tears actually had nothing to do with politics.

Her silent breakdown during Wednesday's PMQs was due to a 'personal issue.'

'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 told broadcasters the following day.

She explained that it's her job to be by the PM's side during PMQs and she tried her best to do that on Wednesday.

'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 and most people don't have to deal with that,' she said.

Starmer Backs Reeves As Chancellor

The PM avoided answering the conservative leaders' questions about whether Reeves would remain chancellor until the next election while in the chamber.

However, since she was seen crying in yesterday's session, Starmer has commended Reeves for doing 'an excellent job as chancellor.'

He backed her to remain chancellor 'into the next election and for many years after' when talking to the BBC.