My chance meeting with future Chancellor eight years ago when she signed her book for me

Fleet Street legend and Mirror columnist, Paul Routledge, sends gentle tales from his West Yorkshire allotment, Mrs R’s pantry and his local, the Old White Bear. In Budget week, Paul recalls meeting Rachel Reeves at the launch of her biography of a Labour heroine who came from our columnist's home town

It was almost eight years ago, but I remember it well enough – we gathered in a Leeds bookshop to celebrate the launch of a political biography of a historic Yorkshire figure, now largely forgotten.

Her name? Alice Bacon, daughter of a collier in my home town of Normanton, and a pioneer Labour MP. She represented Leeds North-East for 25 years from 1945.

Alice, a bosom political pal of Hugh Gaitskell, was firmly on the right of the party, a witchfinder-general of left-wing militants seeking to take over Labour.

But why the interest today? The author of the book, Alice in Westminster, was none other than Rachel Reeves, the first woman Chancellor, who tomorrow presents Labour's first Budget for 14 years.

And the starting point of her political journey is clear in her lavish praise for Ms Bacon, who openly rejoiced when Harold Wilson was beaten by Gaitskell to become Labour leader in 1960.

So I wasn't surprised when Ms Reeves, already marked out as a high-flyer, declined to serve in Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet, preferring a return to the backbenches at Westminster rather than give credibility to the hard left.

Would Alice have done the same? Probably not. Despite her differences with fellow-Tyke Wilson, she served loyally in his governments at Education and the Home Office.

At these events, you are invited to buy a copy of the book, and I did so. The future Chancellor signed the title page, “Dear Paul, A true Labour heroine. Rachel X.” Twenty quid, that cost me, and I still have the receipt.

Had I known Ms Reeves would be in charge of the nation's finances before the decade was out, maybe I would have asked for more of a message.

I was the first biographer of her Labour predecessor at the Treasury, Gordon Brown. But I couldn't hope to do the same for Rachel. I'm too far out of the loop these days. It's less hassle, I can tell you.