Rachel Reeves avoids apology after condemning Treasury Minister for comparing benefits to pocket money: 'Clearly not right'

Reeves faced scrutiny over remarks she made on LBC when defending benefit cuts, announced in the Spring Statement.

Discussing the cuts at the time, Reeves claimed: "My children and the chief secretary's children are too young, but 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 [Office for Budget Responsibility] does an impact assessment and says your 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.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves refused to personally apologise for comparing welfare benefits to 'pocket money'

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When asked directly by Hillier if she wished to apologise for her comment, Reeves explained she had been responding to a specific question about Jones' pocket money analogy.

"It's not a right analogy, and apologies have already been made," the Chancellor told the committee.

She attempted to distance herself from Jones' remarks, stating again: "I don't think I made the same comments."

Reeves concluded by acknowledging the inappropriateness of the comparison, stating: "That analogy of comparing pocket money and personal independence payments is clearly not right."

Rachel Reeves faced a grilling by the Treasury Select Committee

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Following the Chancellor's Spring Statement, an estimated 800,000 people are set to lose out on personal independent payments (Pips) by 2030.

More than three million families will on average be £1,720 a year worse off by 2030, as a result of these cuts.

A further two million people currently receiving a health top-up to universal credit will lose an average of £500 a year as a result of the freeze announced by the Government, and 730,000 future recipients will lose out.