Pressure growing on chancellor following allegations she exaggerated Bank of England experience on her CV. Further questions are being raised over alleged exaggerations of Rachel Reeves’s credentials, after the chancellor was reported to have incorrectly claimed some of her work was published in one of the world’s leading economics journals. According to The Times, her Who’s Who entry lists her as a contributor in the Journal of Political Economy, when in fact she had just one article published in the European Journal of Political Economy – a far less prestigious publication.
Sources close to the chancellor told the newspaper there was no record of how the entry had come to be made or who had approved the description of her publication record. But the entry has reportedly been listed under her name in Who’s Who since she became an MP in 2010. It is understood individuals supply their own details to Who’s Who and have the opportunity to edit them each year. Who’s Who is one of the world’s longest established reference books, which contains more than 32,500 autobiographical entries. The book’s publisher says it has been “carefully updated for maximum accuracy from information personally supplied by the biographee”.
Sir Richard Barnett, an emeritus professor at the University of Ulster, said any academic economist would know the difference between the two journals, claiming they were “chalk and cheese”. “One is world leading, it’s where economists aspire to publish and it’s incredibly competitive to get published in the Journal of Political Economy — if you’re seeking an academic post or a professorship where you’ve published matters as much as what you’ve published,” he told The Times.
It comes amid growing pressure on the chancellor following allegations she used company expenses in a former job to buy handbags, perfume, earrings and wine for colleagues, and exaggerated her Bank of England experience on her CV. Before entering parliament, the chancellor was one of three employees allegedly investigated by Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) for using her expenses to “fund a lifestyle” with inappropriate spending on dinners, events, taxis and gifts, a BBC investigation has claimed.
The broadcaster uncovered documents it said showed Ms Reeves was accused of spending hundreds of pounds on the items, including one gift for her boss. Concerns were reportedly raised about her spending on taxis and on a Christmas party, with one whistleblower believing it to be excessive, the corporation said. The BBC investigation also found Ms Reeves stopped working for the Bank of England nine months earlier than it stated on her LinkedIn profile.
Sir Keir Starmer backed Ms Reeves, and his official spokesperson said the prime minister has no concerns about her conduct. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Ms Reeves said she left HBOS in 2009 “on good terms”. “Rachel is proud of the work she did at HBOS and the teams that she led. It is 16 years since she left the bank and the first time she was made aware of these claims was when approached by journalists,” they said.
“She was not aware of an investigation, nor was she interviewed, and she did not face any disciplinary action on this or any other matters. All expenses were submitted and signed off in the proper way. “Several former colleagues from her time at the bank, including HBOS’s former HR business partner, have corroborated this account.”. She was also backed by a former senior manager at the bank, former HR business partner Jane Wayper, who said she did “not recognise any of the accusations or claims that have been made against Rachel Reeves”.
.jpg?auto=webp&width=800)