Labour’s Rachel Reeves deletes tweet in row over business flight to New York

Labour’s Rachel Reeves has been branded a “hypocrite” for taking a business class British Airways flight to New York.

The shadow chancellor, who is visiting the US to “promote Labour’s economic plans”, sat in a “luxury” seat costing around £4,000.

Ms Reeves posted a picture of her ticket on Sunday alongside a promise that Labour will “restore our economic dignity at home and abroad”.

“Tonight, I fly to the US to start that work,” she added.

But the shadow chancellor quickly deleted the post, which revealed she was in seat 3K, at the front of business class on the Boeing 777-200 aircraft.

A party donor paid for the flight, and a Labour spokeswoman said donations relating to the trip will be declared “in the usual manner”.

“Rachel Reeves is visiting the US to promote Labour’s economic plans for the future, strengthen our relationships and rebuild confidence in the UK after the Conservatives’ catastrophic economic crash last autumn,” she added.

In February, Labour accused Conservative ministers of “living the high life” at taxpayers’ expense. The party highlighted publicly-funded stays at five-star hotels for ministers including then-chancellor Rishi Sunak in 2021.

And Tory MPs rounded on Ms Reeves for flying in business class on a donor-funded trip. Brendan Clarke-Smith told The Telegraph: “When it comes to luxury travel, with Labour they still expect to be top of the list - it’s a case of do as I say, not as I do.

"Whilst they claim they want to make a brand new start of it, when it comes down to it, to be frank, they are still the same old hypocrites they’ve always been."

Ms Reeves is hoping to become the UK’s first female chancellor. In an interview with The Independent in March, she said she wants to “smash” glass ceilings and end the gender pay gap.

On the possibility of becoming the first female chancellor, she said: “There’s been a chancellor of the Exchequer now for just over 800 years, and they’ve always been men. And I think, if you look at the history of women in parliament, it’s always been women who have championed issues that have improved the lives of women.”

She added: “I want to be the chancellor who closes that pay gap between men and women.”