Rachel Reeves has turned up to the launch of the Government’s 10-year plan just a day after her emotional appearance at Prime Minister’s Questions. Sir Keir Starmer failed to say he would keep the Chancellor in the top economic job on Wednesday when challenged by the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. But since then he has taken to the airwaves to pledge his support for Ms Reeves.

He told Virgin Radio: “I think we just need to be clear, it’s a personal matter, and I’m not going to breach Rachel’s privacy by going into what’s a personal matter for her.”

Sir Keir described Ms Reeves as a “great colleague, she’s a friend of mine and I’ll be working with her for a very long time to come”.

He claimed there are “moments that catch us off guard and if you’re in front of a camera for large periods of your life, unfortunately, that could be caught on camera in a way”.

Sir Keir claimed that “if it had been anybody else at work, it would have not really been noticed.”

He insisted: “She is an excellent Chancellor, she will be Chancellor for a very long time to come, into the next election and beyond it.

“She and I are absolutely committed to our fiscal rules and the economic stability that is so important to this country, and that is the rock on which we build everything else.

“On that issue, Rachel and I are in lockstep, and have been for years.”