Is Sir Keir In The Last Chance Saloon?

I heard KS respond to questions about this by saying he was facing Badenough, focussed on answering questions. He expressed full confidence in RR. He insisted it was a personal matter which he would not discuss. Reeves was with him I think

Her crying was made with loud sobs ?

Calendargirl

Don’t think Margaret Thatcher ever cried at the dispatch box Anniebach so yes, to me she came across as strong and resilient when doing her job.

I remember both Gordon Brown and David Cameron looking upset, very understandable, when they both lost children, but that was in a totally different context.

Churchill cried several times at the dispatch box.

To me it is blindingly obvious that if Keir Starmer had turned to comfort her (even if he could see her tears, which I doubt), that would have made it far more embarrassing for her.

“Really, all you need to be Chancellor is bags of confidence, an elite public school education, a completely irrelevant degree and a great deal of family wealth.”

You know that’s rubbish because Gordon Brown had no great wealth behind him, no great judgement either allowing deregulation to get out of control.

I would think on sitting down you might just glance if someone was in tears particularly if there had been a previous upset? Perhaps not if you're super insensitive or have been the cause of said tears.

Quote Jaberwok Thu 03-Jul-25 10:27:51
She was sitting alongside Sir Kier! How could he not have noticed her distress or anyone else on the front bench come to that?

Is it usual at PMQ for front bench to chat together , to turn left or right when speaking and listening to the leader of the opposition?

Mrs T had a very wealthy and supportive husband, and her son and daughter were adults by the time she became PM.

Galaxy

Indeed I don't think I actually care if a politician cries, male or female, but I do care about the lack of strategy/vision on this issue.

Exactly Galaxy. The lack of strategic planning and vision, looking at the WHOLE problem rather than cherry picking out aspects without proper research and consultation is exactly why this bill has turned into a debacle. And even the "concessions" re only applying to new applicants was a complete missing if the point!

MaizieD

growstuff

Martin Lewis posted this on Twitter:

"I wouldn't ever want to be Chancellor for all the money in the world. Incredibly tough job. Impossible ask. Especially over the last decade.

How do you try to piece together the mis-shapen, independent jigsaw pieces of consumer issues, business, the economy, bond markets, stock markets, job markets, world economies, tariffs, and more.

People often lambast Chancellors as 'unqualified' but no one is qualified to do such a broad job. Ultimately it is a political role for someone with hopefully some understanding of wider economic, financial and consumer issues.

We have to give some respect to those who try, even if we disagree with their decisions. As no one will ever get it all right."

He has a point.

Martin Lewis is off the nark

Really, all you need to be Chancellor is bags of confidence, an elite public school education, a completely irrelevant degree and a great deal of family wealth. Then, like George Osborne you can waltz into the job, impose your ideology and simplistic economic beliefs on the country, ruin its public services, destroy a significant number of people's lives and create poverty and hopelessness to a degree that hasn't been resolved a decade later...

Having badly damaged the economy and the nation's wellbeing you can waltz out of the job into several very highly paid positions (IIRC he had 4 or 5 highly paid jobs running concurrently at one stage) and become one of the 'great and good' at the head of a national cultural institution.

What's not to like?

Trouble with Rachel is that she doesn't have the essential wealth and public school education behind her...

She's not Teflon-coated.

She was sitting alongside Sir Kier! How could he not have noticed her distress or anyone else on the front bench come to that?

^^Calendargirl

Don’t think Margaret Thatcher ever cried at the dispatch box Anniebach so yes, to me she came across as strong and resilient when doing her job.

MT was seen to wipe a tear from her eye when she was ousted from No 10 but she certainly never cried in the job even when her son went missing. She was one tough lady, like her or not.
It’s clear that RR is not up to the job and never has been. She should hand over to someone more competent for the sake of the country and for her own health.

So true MaizieD.

Perhaps the same applies to all the top jobs in our government. What a sad indictment of our society.

growstuff

Martin Lewis posted this on Twitter:

"I wouldn't ever want to be Chancellor for all the money in the world. Incredibly tough job. Impossible ask. Especially over the last decade.

How do you try to piece together the mis-shapen, independent jigsaw pieces of consumer issues, business, the economy, bond markets, stock markets, job markets, world economies, tariffs, and more.

People often lambast Chancellors as 'unqualified' but no one is qualified to do such a broad job. Ultimately it is a political role for someone with hopefully some understanding of wider economic, financial and consumer issues.

We have to give some respect to those who try, even if we disagree with their decisions. As no one will ever get it all right."

He has a point.

Martin Lewis is off the nark

Really, all you need to be Chancellor is bags of confidence, an elite public school education, a completely irrelevant degree and a great deal of family wealth. Then, like George Osborne you can waltz into the job, impose your ideology and simplistic economic beliefs on the country, ruin its public services, destroy a significant number of people's lives and create poverty and hopelessness to a degree that hasn't been resolved a decade later...

Having badly damaged the economy and the nation's wellbeing you can waltz out of the job into several very highly paid positions (IIRC he had 4 or 5 highly paid jobs running concurrently at one stage) and become one of the 'great and good' at the head of a national cultural institution.

What's not to like?

Trouble with Rachel is that she doesn't have the essential wealth and public school education behind her...

Jane43
The point is Chris Mason didn’t express the same glee at the Tory party’s many failures.

And Laura Keunssberg didn’t express the same glee at the Labour party’s failures.

Was Chris Mason the political commentator at the time? It always seemed to be Laura Keunssberg, a British journalist who presents the BBC's Sunday morning politics show. She was succeeded as Political Editor of BBC News by Chris Mason.

Now if you want to posit that the BBC always chooses a political commentator who seems to be against the party in power, that would be a more accurate argument.

Oreo

Politics is a harsh business at the very top.

Yes it is and regardless of which party it is. Apparently her back benchers have said she knew what she was getting into before she took office.

Mollygo

Jane43 today @09.43

I had to look up BJ being given that title though I remember U-turns by him and Liz Truss as well.

Their u-turns were given by the opposition and the media as a reason why they weren’t good as a PM . . .

The media always focus on the negatives, whoever is in power. If what you posit is true, then there’s always a BBC commentator who seems to derive pleasure from delivering that news.

It used to be Laura Keunssberg during the Tory Government. Now it’s Chris Mason.

The point is Chris Mason didn’t express the same glee at the Tory party’s many failures.

Anniebach

Starmer was facing the opposition benches not benches behind him

You mean he didn’t realise that she was upset? Oh that explains it.

Starmer was facing the opposition benches not benches behind him

Surely if it was a personal matter, serious enough to bring you to tears, you would have simply sent, or colleagues would have said on your behalf, that you had been called away urgently on an unforseen personal mater and left it at that for the minute. Also had this been the case and you had chosen to stay, your colleagues surely would have offered some sort of sympathetic support? KB, would have been less aggressive in attacking her? Starmer regard her with some sympathy, ditto Rayner, instead they both ignored her obvious distress. Sounds much more like a work problem, but.Who knows?

I thought I heard on tv that Rachel Reeves spoke for too long when giving her answers….

Does anyone have any 'intel' on what was her row with the Speaker about?

Politics is a harsh business at the very top.

If, and it’s def an if, there is a real explanation for tears in Parliament then she still has to either overcome it in public or resign.
This isn’t just a desk job it’s Chancellor.

Oreo

Leave of absence unless for a bereavement would only make the situation worse.
The markets need confidence.
She has to come back strongly now or resign.

I think that is a really harsh viewpoint, what if it is a cancer or other serious diagnosis in her family, or splitting up with husband and or wife for example. Politicians deserve the same compassion as other people I think, life throws bombs at all of us.