By Kevin Schofield
Rachel Reeves is 鈥渉ere to stay鈥 as chancellor despite speculation about her future in the role, Wes Streeting has said.
The health secretary gave his cabinet colleague his full support a day after she was seen crying in the Commons during prime minister鈥檚 questions.
A spokesman for Reeves said it was a 鈥減ersonal matter鈥, but it later emerged she had had a verbal altercation with Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle just before PMQs.
Rumours that Reeves had resigned or been sacked led to turmoil on the international bond markets, with the interest rates on government debt spiking and the value of the pound falling.
Keir Starmer 鈥 who had failed to confirm his chancellor鈥檚 job was safe when asked by Kemi Badenoch during PMQs 鈥 has since told the BBC she is doing 鈥渁n excellent job鈥.
Streeting went further on BBC Breakfast by insisting that Reeves鈥 job is safe.
He said: 鈥淪he is tough, she will bounce back and it鈥檚 the strength of Rachel鈥檚 leadership that has seen interest rates fall four times, that鈥檚 seen wages finally going up faster than the cost of living and has given the UK the fastest growing economy in the G7.
鈥淭here鈥檚 still more to do on the economy, we make no bones about that, and that鈥檚 why to reassure people, Rachel Reeves is here to stay as our chancellor.
鈥淪he has got the courage, the strength and the judgment to make not always the decisions that are popular or easy, but the right choices to make sure that our country is better off, but also that people at home feel better off and our businesses go from strength to strength as well as our economy.鈥