By Kate Nicholson
Keir Starmer has claimed Rachel Reeves is doing 鈥渁n excellent job鈥 as chancellor after she was seen in tears during prime minister鈥檚 questions on Wednesday.
Her future in the role seemed to be hanging by a thread after Starmer refused to say his ally was safe in the job when asked by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch in PMQs.
While a government spokesperson told reporters that Reeves was not going anywhere, her tears instantly rocked the markets and sent the gilts up.
But speaking to the BBC Radio 4鈥瞫 Political Thinking last night, Starmer said: 鈥淪he鈥檚 made it clear it was a personal matter and I鈥檓 not going to go into the personal matter of a colleague.
鈥淪he鈥檚 done an excellent job as chancellor,鈥 he said. 鈥淪he and I work together, we think together.
鈥淚n the past, there have been examples 鈥 I won鈥檛 give any specifics 鈥 of chancellors and prime ministers who weren鈥檛 in lockstep. We鈥檙e in lockstep.鈥
Presenter Nick Robinson said that viewers assumed the chancellor鈥檚 tears were due to politics and that her job was in jeopardy.
鈥淔irstly, Nick, that鈥檚 wrong. I can just tell you that,鈥 the PM said, noting that her sadness had 鈥渘othing to do with what happened this week鈥.
Reeves鈥 emotional display came after a real crisis for Labour as backbenchers rebelled against the government鈥檚 proposed welfare reforms 鈥 meaning Reeves would have to fill a 拢5bn black hole in the public finances.
But Starmer added: 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to intrude on her privacy by talking to you about that. It was a personal matter.鈥
Robinson pointed out that Badenoch鈥檚 spokesperson has suggested the public have a right to know the details behind the tears and noted Reeves is tied to the performance of the economy.
But Starmer dismissed it had nothing to do with any discussions they had between them.
鈥淪he鈥檒l be chancellor by the time this is broadcast, she will be chancellor for a very long time,鈥 he added, 鈥渋nto the next election and for many years after鈥, claiming they were both working on changing the country together.
In an interview to mark a year since Labour won the general election on a landslide, the PM also told the BBC that he knows he 鈥渄id not engage鈥 properly with his backbench MPs when it came to their concerns over his welfare reforms.
He said it had been a 鈥渢ough鈥 few days for the government, but they would 鈥渃ome through this stronger鈥 after a period of reflection.
He said 鈥淟abour politicians come into public life because they care deeply鈥 about issues such as disability benefits.
鈥淭here is a very, very strong agreement in the Labour Party that we do need to reform the system,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 not one of these ideological thinkers. I鈥檓 a pragmatist.鈥
鈥淚 came into politics to change lives, after nine long years in opposition,鈥 Starmer said, noting he would 鈥渘ot swap a single day of the last year鈥 for life on the opposition benches again.