‘It’s a gaffe!’ Former Labour adviser says Rachel Reeves LinkedIn controversy ‘should not have happened’

Former Labour adviser Kevin Meagher has described the controversy over Rachel Reeves’ LinkedIn profile as “a gaffe” that “shouldn’t have happened”.

Speaking about the Chancellor’s professional networking page, Meagher said the profile had been managed by someone else who “had not been exact on the dates”.

The comments come as Reeves faces scrutiny over both her LinkedIn profile accuracy and allegations regarding expenses during her time at Halifax Bank of Scotland.

Former Labour Advisor Kevin Meagher said: “It’s a gaffe. It shouldn’t have happened.

“It’s embarrassing when you’re a Chancellor with so much that’s resting on big judgments.

“There’s so much going wrong in the economy that she’s inherited, that these small things often blow up and become quite big things.

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“It’s a bit of a gaffe on the expenses, as far as I can see with all of the coverage, there is nobody on the record making specific allegations against it.

“Indeed, one of the one of the HR officials from Halifax, Bank of Scotland, where she worked after she worked at the Treasury, has said that it doesn’t recognise this issue at all.

“Rachel Reeves this afternoon has come out and said very clearly that she’s not being questioned and these issues have never been raised with her at the time that she was there at the boss.

“I think the crucial thing amidst all of this is, as the first woman Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves did work at the Bank of England in senior roles.

“She did work at the US embassy as an economist, did work at the then biggest bank in the country, and has got a master’s degree in economics from the London School of Economics, which is one of the finest.”

The BBC had reported that HBOS opened an investigation into the spending culture of Reeves’ department during her time at the bank between 2006 and 2009.

According to the broadcaster, a whistleblower complained about excessive expenses use by Reeves and two senior colleagues.

The Chancellor has directly responded to the expenses allegations, speaking publicly for the first time since the reports emerged.

“No one ever raised any concerns about my expenses when I worked for Halifax Bank of Scotland,” Reeves said.

She emphasised that all expenses were handled appropriately: “I submitted, had processed and had my expenses signed off in the proper way as you would expect, and no issues were ever raised during my time at Halifax Bank of Scotland.”

The Chancellor added: “I was never questioned, never asked to pay back any expenses.”

A spokesperson for Reeves had earlier stated she was “not aware of an investigation, nor was she interviewed”, while her lawyer has denied the allegations.