Rachel Reeves says Matt Hancock was 'stuck up' when they worked together at the BoE

Rachel Reeves took down three prominent Tory politicians in one fell swoop this week - all with her acerbic tongue.

Speaking to Matt Forde during a recording of his Political Party show on Monday (5th November), the shadow chancellor explained in pretty unflattering terms what it was like to work with the disgraced former health secretary Matt Hancock, and she also saved some savagery for prime minister Rishi Sunak and former prime minister Liz Truss too.

She explained that she and Hancock started work together at the Bank of England "on the same day" as economists on the graduate intake in the earlier noughties.

"He used to always sit in the front row for all the training sessions and was the first one to put his hand up... really tedious," she said.

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"We got on fine," she added but explained he was "a bit stuck up" and was always "toadying up" to people he respected.

Asked if she thought he was bright, she laughed before saying: "If I said yes that makes me look like an idiot".

Meanwhile, she didn't appear to think much of Sunak either, who she shadowed when he was chancellor.

"Sunak's funny," she said. "He never made eye contact with me for the whole almost year and a half that I shadowed him."

While she tried to "stare him out" during speeches in the commons, she added, "he would never look at me".

"I have no idea what colour his eyes are," she said, before saying that a minister making no effort to build some kind of relationship with the person who shadows them is "not good politics."

As for Truss, "she's a bit awkward, isn't she?" Reeves said. She added she didn't feel sorry for her over her embarrassing political demise because "she has done permanent damage to our economy".

In a wide-ranging interview, Reeves also explained Labour's devolution plans and how she prepares for big commons appearances. She also spoke about her early interest in politics and even said she was gifted a framed photo of Gordon Brown when she was a university student.

But one thing is for sure - we don't fancy getting on her bad side.

Matt Forde’s fortnightly West End residency continues with upcoming guests including Yvette Cooper and Emily Thornberry for the Christmas Special on 19^th Dec and Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel on the 23^rd January. Tickets at mattforde.com

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