Unrepentant Reeves Claims She Never Made Benefits ‘Pocket Money’ Analogy – Guido Fawkes

FACT-CHECK: Unrepentant Reeves Claims She Never Made Benefits ‘Pocket Money’ Analogy

Rachel Reeves was put on the spot today by the Treasury Select Committee over comments made by her and Darren Jones comparing the Spring Statement’s welfare reforms to cutting back pocket money for kids. Reeves repeated that Jones had already apologised for his “clumsy” remarks, though made it clear she wouldn’t be saying sorry herself:

“I was asked a specific question. I did not first of all hear the previous interview of the chief secretary and so the question to me was put about pocket money. I did not make the same comments.” 

Guido Verify has examined the claims…

Jones said last Wednesday:

“Take, for example, if I said to my kids: ‘I’m going to cut your pocket money by £10 per week, but you have to go and get a Saturday job. The impact assessment on that basis would say that my kids were down £10, irrespective of how much money they get from their Saturday job.”

On LBC later that day, Jones’ analogy was repeated to Reeves, and she was asked whether those comments were “crass“. She answered:

“I would say is that if you have a 16 year old and you say you know what I’m not going to give you so much pocket money I want you to go out to work and then the OBR comes and does an impact assessment and says the child is going to be worse off well they’re going to be worse off if they don’t go and get themselves a Saturday job.”

That’s ‘impact assessment’, ‘Saturday job’, and ‘pocket money’ mentioned by both of them. Guido Verify is at hand should Reeves ever forget her past comments again…