Rachel Reeves pokes fun at Chancellor’s geography blunders

Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves has pointed out a geographical blunder in a tweet directed at her by Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

He said via Twitter: “Disappointing that the MP for Leeds West didn’t welcome the #Budget2021 announcement today to level up transport connections in her constituency with £20 million from the Levelling Up Fund. It’s not too late though @RachelReevesMP I’ve even made a graphic for you 👇.” The graphic referred to funding allocated by the Treasury to West Leeds.

However ITV’s political correspondent Harry Horton said when he had asked Reeves about this tweet, she said “the levelling up money doesn’t actually go to her constituency, it goes to @StuartAndrew ‘s Pudsey constituency” a Conservative seat, and that “I don’t think he [Sunak] knows his geography too well.”

She also said someone should buy him a map “so he can work out where he is in the country”, alluding to the Chancellor’s interview with the BBC’s Breakfast programme earlier today, during which he mistakenly said he was in the “world famous” Burnley market when he was actually speaking from Bury, 20 miles south of Burnley.