Rachel Reeves: No concerns raised with me about my expenses

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said no concerns were raised with her about her expenses during her time at Halifax Bank of Scotland.

A BBC investigation found that while working at HBOS, Reeves was subject to a detailed whistleblowing complaint which raised concerns about her use of company money.

Reeves told the BBC she “submitted and had her expenses signed off in the proper way”.

A spokesman for the chancellor previously said she had no knowledge of the investigation, always complied with expenses rules and left the bank on good terms.

Asked what her understanding of the investigation was, Reeves told the BBC: “No one ever raised any concerns about my expenses when I worked for Halifax Bank of Scotland.

“I submitted and had my expenses signed off in the proper way, as you would expect.

“And no issues were ever raised during my time at Halifax bank of Scotland.”

Pressed over why some of her former colleagues were aware of an investigation, the chancellor said: “I don’t know what they are saying and of course none of them have gone on the record.

“But I was never questioned, never asked to pay back any expenses.”

Reeves said she was “really proud of the work that I did before I became an MP” but added: “In the end, people are going to judge me on the job that I’m doing now as chancellor of the exchequer to grow the economy and put more money in the pockets of working people.”

In the late 2000s before entering politics, Reeves worked at HBOS as a senior manager.

The BBC has learnt that during her time at the bank concerns were raised about Reeves, and two other managers, using the bank’s money to “fund a lifestyle”.

The concerns raised about Reeves’s spending included a £400 leaving meal for a colleague, a £49 handbag for her PA and £152 spent on another bag, along with some perfume as a present for her boss in a joint gift with another manager.

The initial stage of an investigation found that Reeves and her two colleagues appeared to have broken rules, according to a senior source.

But the BBC has not been able to establish what the final outcome of the investigation was or if it was ever concluded.