Lee Anderson used PMQs to deliver a withering joke about Rachel Reeves’ ongoing CV claims, after the Chancellor faced accusations she had lied about her past.
The Reform UK chief whip used his PMQs question to call out a recent claim by the farming minister, who recently said from the Dispatch Box that he had been “congratulated by a farmer over the introduction of inheritance tax”.
“Now I think this farmer must have been a cannabis farmer! Because just yesterday we had 10,000 farmers on Whitehall protesting against this madcap decision,” he said.
“So does the deputy Prime Minister agree with me that this decision should be thrown in the trash can, along with Rachel from accounts’ CV?”
The dig came following a week of claims Ms Reeves had been misleading about her time as an “economist” at the Bank of Scotland.
In October the Guido Fawkes website revealed that while she claimed she worked as an “economist” at the Bank of Scotland between 2006 and 2009, she in fact had a more mundane job working in a support unit managing administration, IT and planning matters.
However on Friday, just hours after she was dealt a blow by terrible economic growth figures Ms Reeves was caught quietly editing her LinkedIn CV to reflect her true role.
On her social media account, the Halifax-based job has now been subtly edited from “economist” to “retail banking”.
A Treasury source has now admitted: “She worked in retail banking covering various areas drawing on her background as an economist. Her LinkedIn has been updated to reflect that.”
Over the weekend she also face allegations that she had over inflated her time working at the Bank of England, where she started her career.
In a 2021 interview for Stylist magazine, she claimed she had “spent a decade” as an economist at Britain’s central bank.
However her Linkedin reveals she spent just six years working there.
Finally intervening in the row today, Keir Starmer’s official spokesman defended Ms Reeves as someone who’s been “straight with the public” in response to the widespread criticism.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who was standing in for Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs, ignored the jibe, but hit back with gag about Lee Anderson’s own career.
She parried: “Well, Mr Speaker, he talks about CVs – it’s good to see the hon. member doing well on his bench.
“Once a Labour councillor, then a Tory MP and now Reform’s chief whip! Every time he switches party he gets a promotion!”
Mr Anderson was seen chuckling at her joke.
Ms Rayner defended the government’s decision to hike taxes on farmers.
