I’m sick of people mansplaining how to be chancellor, say...

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I’m sick of people mansplaining how to be chancellor, says Rachel Reeves

The chancellor also admitted the government has ‘made a couple of unforced errors’ but insisted it is ‘fighting to win’

Millie CookePolitical CorrespondentFriday 21 November 2025 08:26 GMTComments

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Rachel Reeves has said she is “sick of people mansplaining how to be chancellor” to her, days before she unveils her make-or-break Budget.

Hitting back at critics amid growing concern over sweeping tax rises that are expected next week, the chancellor said she is “not going to let them bring me down by undermining my character or my confidence”.

But Ms Reeves also admitted the government has “made a couple of unforced errors” but insisted it is “fighting to win”.

Her remarks come as she scrambles to fill a £20bn black hole in the public finances after weeks of speculations and leaks about her tax rise plans.

The Chancellor will lay out her Budget next week (Leon Neal/PA) (PA Wire)

While the chancellor appears to have rowed back on earlier plans to increase income tax, she is widely expected to look at other ways to raise cash to tackle the shortfall and ensure she remains on track to meet her fiscal rules.

The Times interview with Ms Reeves also saw her address the day when she was seen crying during PMQs amid growing speculation over her future in the Treasury – an incident that was blamed on a “personal issue” at the time.

“If you weren’t recording this, I’d tell you about what was going on, but I’m not saying that to the world,” she said.

“Most people have had a day at work when they go into the toilets and have a cry, or say to their boss, ‘I’m just going home early.’

“Unfortunately, my difficult moment was on live television. I always go to prime minister’s questions – I thought it was my duty to be there – but if I had that day again, I wouldn’t have gone into the chamber.”

Asked about her critics, the chancellor said: “I’m sick of people mansplaining how to be chancellor to me.”

But as Britain’s first female chancellor, she also acknowledged still feeling the need to prove herself to the “boys who now write newspaper columns”.

Asked whether that spurs her on, she said: “Yeah, a bit. I recognise that I’ve got a target on me. You can see that in the media; they’re going for me all the time. It’s exhausting.

“But I’m not going to let them bring me down by undermining my character or my confidence. I’ve seen off a lot of those boys before and I’ll continue to do so.”

In another blow to the chancellor, with just days to go before she unveils the Budget, the latest official figures showed higher-than-expected government borrowing last month.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector borrowing stood at £17.4 billion last month, £1.8 billion lower than a year ago but the third highest level for October since records began.

The figure was more than the £15 billion expected by most economists and higher than the £14.4 billion forecast in March by the UK’s independent fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).