Rachel Reeves: I did well at school but I'm here for the girls who didn't

Who does Rachel Reeves have in her “mind’s eye”, as the prime minister put it, ahead of her first spending review this week?

- Rachel Sylvester, political editor

“I think of the young people growing up in my constituency,” says the chancellor and MP for Leeds West and Pudsey. “I did really well at school but there were loads of girls who didn’t fulfil their potential.

“I don’t think that a young person growing up in Armley in Leeds, or Rochdale, has the same opportunities as a young person growing up with middle-class parents who have money to pay for the extra music lessons, sports, tuition, or even a bedroom where you can do your homework, or the security that you will be living in the same place for a long time. I want young people to have the opportunity to fulfil their potential, wherever they're from, whatever their background. That’s what really matters to me.”

If Gordon Brown's driving purpose as chancellor was to reduce child poverty, and George Osborne had the Northern Powerhouse, Reeves, the daughter of teachers, defines her mission as education.

Although last week the chancellor toured the country announcing billions of pounds for public transport as part of a £113bn capital expenditure splurge, this week, along with settlements for the NHS and defence, she will allocate an additional £4.5bn a year to schools. The Treasury says this will take per pupil funding for five to 16-year-olds in England to the highest level it has been.

The government has already announced plans to expand the number of children who receive free school meals and the prime minister has made clear he wants to reverse the two-child welfare cap to drive down child poverty. In an interview with The Observer, Reeves says her personal and political priority will always be improving life chances for disadvantaged young people.