Keir Starmer was forced to guarantee Rachel Reeves will keep her job for "many years to come", in a bid to end financial and political turmoil following her tears in Parliament. But Labour insiders said the Prime Minister's authority was in tatters with former Cabinet Minister Ed Balls warning: "It's been the worst week for Labour governments for a long time".

Keir Starmer says he didn’t realise Rachel Reeves was crying in Commons during PMQs Source: Reuters

UK finance minister Rachel Reeves appears visibly upset a day after making welfare bill concessions:: London, England:: July 2, 2025:: Prime Minister Keir Starmer's press secretary later told reporters that Reeves has his full backingReeves was sitting beside Starmer during the weekly prime minister's questions,

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday said that finance minister Rachel Reeves would remain in her role for “a very long time to come” after she appeared visibly upset in parliament as rumours swirled around her future.

By Andrew MacAskill and Elizabeth Piper LONDON (Reuters) -British lawmakers gave their initial approval to Prime Minister Keir Starmer's plans to cut disability benefits on Tuesday, after a rebellion in his Labour Party forced the government to abandon a key reform at least for now.

Amid fears of imminent defeat, Starmer authorised a last-minute climbdown. Experts said the emasculated bill, which passed a parliamentary vote on Tuesday evening, could even lose the government money overall after it was initially intended to generate net savings of £5bn.