No10 refuses to say whether Rachel Reeves broke ministerial code

Downing Street has refused to say whether Rachel Reeves broke the ministerial code amid accusations she lied on her online CV.  

The Chancellor has come under fire for editing her LinkedIn profile — to remove a previous claim she worked as an economist at the Bank of England — and instead changing it to say her role was in 'retail banking'. 

It comes after she told the Stylist magazine in 2021 that she had spent a decade as an economist at the Bank of England.

In a social media post after the interview, she said: 'A real pleasure to speak to @‌StylistMagazine about my time as an economist at the Bank of England.'

But several media outlets reported a change to her LinkedIn profile this week, prompting the Tories to accuse her of 'deception' and brand her 'economical with the truth'.

Now, No10 has defended her record in office, stating 'this is someone who has been honest with the public'. 

On Monday, the Prime Ministers official deputy spokesperson was asked: 'Is lying on your CV a breach of the ministerial code?', The Telegraph reported.

A No10 spokesperson responded: 'the Prime Minister is very clear that the Chancellor has restored fiscal stability.'

They added: 'This is someone who, on coming into office, looked under the bonnet and exposed a £22 billion black hole in the public finances and has been honest with the public.'

When challenged about whether Ms Reeves had been 'straight with the public' about her employment history, the spokesperson declined to give a straight answer, The Telegraph reported.

The spokesperson reiterated that the Prime Minister believes the Chancellor has been honest with the public about the state of public finances and what needs to be done to 'restore financial stability'. 

In her Mansion House speech on Thursday evening, Ms Reeves told guests: 'Before entering politics, I worked as an economist at the Bank of England. And then in financial services.'

Her LinkedIn CV, which had previously said that she was an economist at the Bank of Scotland has now been updated to say she was in 'Retail Banking', the Guido Fawkes political website noted.

It previously reported that she worked in a support department at the Bank of Scotland which managed administration, IT and planning matters.

A Labour source said: 'Ms Reeves worked in retail banking covering various areas drawing on her background as an economist. Her LinkedIn has been updated to reflect that.'

The source said she had held several different roles at the bank but would not clarify her job title.

A Tory party source told the Mail: 'It seems Rachel Reeves employment history claims are about as accurate as her promises not to raise taxes on working people - based on deception and increasingly proved false.'

Shadow justice minister Robert Jenrick said: 'Reeves said she was an economist. Turns out she's just economical with the truth.'

Ms Reeves began her career at the Bank of England and worked there between 2000 and 2006, including a secondment in Washington.

She then moved to Leeds to work for the retail arm of Halifax Bank of Scotland before becoming an MP.