Under-pressure Reeves mocked for her 'Peking duck' flit to China

Chancellor faces Commons grilling

- Martyn Brown

RACHEL Reeves was mocked for performing a "Peking duck" as MPs accused her of fleeing to China to avoid Britain's market meltdown.

The under-pressure Chancellor was met with fury as she faced scrutiny for the first time since flying out to Beijing to woo its Communist leaders.

In a merciless Commons grilling, Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride accused her of "scampering halfway around the world with a begging bowl" while markets spiralled.

The market turmoil saw UK borrowing costs hitting a 27-year high and the pound slumping to its lowest level since 2023.

Critics blame Ms Reeves's huge Budget tax raid, with businesses warning it has crushed growth by fuelling inflation and triggering a jobs cull.

Although debt costs have been rising around the world, Britain has been harder hit than many other countries.

And economists say the Chancellor will almost certainly have to slash spending or push taxes even higher this year as a result.