OPINION – Rachel Reeves was in attendance as Starmer departed No 10 despite not bothering to show up when he announced his decision to resign
Reeves was present to wave Starmer out of Downing Streetย (Image: Getty)
Reeves was one of several Labour figures to watch his final act as PMย (Image: Getty)
For all the tears on the backbenches, the fact remains that Labour MPs backed a horse in 2019 after the disaster of Jeremy Corbyn and bottled it when things got difficult.
Like Julius Caesar he was stabbed in the back by some of those he counted as allies, several of whom stood behind him as he said his goodbyes to the nation.
It was telling that his Chancellorย Rachel Reevesย stood front and centre to mark the end of a premiership she had a heavy hand in wrecking.
The winter fuel debacle, chaos over welfare reform and a refusal to fund defence were each a wound that bled his time in office to death.
Perhaps in the intervening time, she has realised that her chances of maintaining her place in cabinet were slim, so now she is attempting to shape her legacy in charge of the nationโs finances.
In a disloyal profession, Reevesโs political manoeuvring as her former boss fell on their shared sword was something to behold.
Reeves will go down in history as the first woman to hold the chancellorship and will rightly be remembered as a trailblazer in public life.
But she will also be remembered as a poor occupant of No 11 Downing Street, who lied about raising taxes, strangledย farmers, pubs andย small businessesย and failed to do anything to kick start growth.
Much of the above was unrectifiable by the time Starmer announced his decision to resign. What she could have controlled was the way in which she handled his departure.
Instead of loyalty and contrition, she chose to play political games and put herself first. Given this governmentโs track record, perhaps that shouldnโt come as a surprise.