Who is Rachel Reeves? Everything we know about the UK’s first female chancellor
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Rachel Reeves is set to unveiled her first budget as chancellor today, which involved £40bn worth of tax rises to address a black whole in the nation’s finanecs. Reeves became the UK’s first female chancellor after Labour won the General Election in July 2024.
![[Mandatory Credit: Photo by REX/Shutterstock (1532147j) Labour leader Ed Miliband with Rachel Reeves, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Ed Miliband MP, Leader of the Labour Party, speaks on the Economy, London, Britain - 10 Jan 2012 Labour leader Ed Miliband with Rachel Reeves, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, as he waits to give his speech]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SEI_225819552-227f.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
She previously served in Sir Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet as shadow chancellor from May 2021 until July. Follow the latest updates on the Autumn 2024 Budget on our live blog. As chancellor, Reeves has already overseen the scrapping of the winter fuel allowance for pensioners not on certain benefits, which means more than 9 million pensioners will lose out on the annual payment of between £200 and £300 a year.
![[Shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves (left) and her sister, Ellie Reeves at a rally at the Royal Horticultural Halls in central London where Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer addressed Labour Party members and supporters whilst campaigning for next week???s General Election on July 4. Picture date: Saturday June 29, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story POLITICS Election Labour. Photo credit should read: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SEI_210955414-912b.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
In her first Budget as Chancellor she announced £40 billion in tax increases, as the government seeks to avoid a return to austerity. Here’s everything you need to know about Reeves. Born on February 13 1979 in Lewisham, south east London. Reeves is the daughter of primary school teachers Graham and Sally.
![[Everything we know about Rachel Reeves; famous sister, husband and kids]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SEI_225818958-8374.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=600)
She attended the state school Cator Park school for Girls in Bromley, where she studied maths, further maths, economics and politics at A-level. It was in sixth form when Reeves joined the Labour party, a year before the 1997 general election which saw Labour sweep to power in a landslide victory under Sir Tony Blair.
The future chancellor went on to become the third person ever from the school to go to Oxford, where she studied philosophy, politics and economics at New College. After completing an undergraduate degree at Oxford and a masters degree at the London School of Economics, Reeves joined the Bank of England’s graduate scheme in the same cohort as former Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
