'Rachel has my full confidence' ...but PM will not say if she'll still be in job at next election

SIR Keir Starmer twice refused to say yesterday if Rachel Reeves will be Chancellor at the next election.

- Katie Harris

The Prime Minister insisted he had "full confidence" in her but stopped short of confirming that she would remain in No11 for the duration of the parliament.

Sir Keir was asked "yes or no" if Ms Reeves would still be in the Treasury in 2029 after he delivered a speech on artificial intelligence in London, but dodged the question.

Pressed again, he said: "Rachel Reeves is doing a fantastic job. She has my full confidence. She has the full confidence of the entire party."

But PM's spokesman confused the issue when he later said Sir Keir "was very explicit (that) he has full confidence in the Chancellor and he'll be working with her in the role of Chancellor for the whole of this Parliament".

It comes as Ms Reeves, who was visiting Shanghai yesterday, faces intense pressure over soaring Government borrowing costs, while the value of the pound has dropped.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Ms Reeves was "hanging on by her fingernails". She added: "The Prime Minister just refused to back his Chancellor staying in her job.