A Cabinet minister has attacked the BBC for “totally inaccurate” reporting, after it said Rachel Reeves was subject to an internal investigation into expenses while working at a retail bank.
Science Secretary Peter Kyle, a senior figure in the Government, hit out at the broadcaster for its report on Thursday which claimed Ms Reeves had been subject to a probe into expenses when she worked at Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) between 2006 and 2009.
A spokesperson for the Chancellor has claimed she was not aware of the probe, and a human resources manager who worked at HBOS at the same time as Ms Reeves said she had not been made aware of such an investigation taking place.
Asked about the reporting by BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Kyle sought to provide a robust defence of the Chancellor.
He told the BBC: “Unfortunately, the reporting has been totally inaccurate, and we heard yesterday that the person who was actually head of HR at that bank at that time says it’s untrue, said that she never, ever receive a file on Rachel Reeves.”
The minister was told that HBOS did not say there was no investigation, but that one had not been completed before the HR manager, Jane Wayper, had left the bank.
Responding to BBC Radio 4’s Today, Mr Kyle said: “And she says that before she left the bank, there was no investigation that passed her desk. And she’s also said if there was one, it would have passed her desk.
“I didn’t see any of that reporting included in the story I read yesterday evening on the BBC website.”
In a statement – which the BBC included in its initial reporting – Ms Wayper said she “would have been made aware of any investigation which concluded there was a case to answer”.
The HR manager, who left HBOS in 2008 according to her LinkedIn page, said she would have been required to organise a disciplinary process, which “did not happen”.
The accuracy of Ms Reeves’ profile on the business social media site LinkedIn was also called into question by the BBC’s reporting.
Ms Reeves has updated her job history on the professional networking site to reflect she worked at Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) for longer than she had previously said.
The Chancellor’s page had previously suggested her stint at the Bank of England, which she has previously referenced to reinforce her credentials, lasted months longer than it now says.
A member of the Chancellor’s team set up her LinkedIn profile and was responsible for errors in it, Mr Kyle said, as he appeared on BBC Breakfast.
He added: “But what you’ve seen with Rachel is a Chancellor who is an economist by training and by practice, and she’s brought that experience into Government, and judge her on actions and not just words.”
The Prime Minister gave his backing to Ms Reeves as she faced questions about the CV and expenses investigation.
On Thursday, Sir Keir Starmer said the Chancellor had “dealt with any issues that arise” from the claims, and Downing Street insisted she could be trusted.
David Sorensen, a lawyer who acted for the Chancellor as she left HBOS, said she was not subject to “allegations of wrongdoing or misconduct” during her career at the bank.
He was responsible for overseeing “a standard-style agreement adopted by the company when a mutually agreed exit was made during the bank’s restructure”.
