Women in public life get “much more abuse and criticism than men”, Sir Keir Starmer has said after Rachel Reeves claimed she was a victim of mansplaining.
Ms Reeves, who is the UK’s first female chancellor, suggested in a recent interview with The Times that some criticism towards her is motivated by sexism.
Asked about her claims, including that people are “mansplaining how to be chancellor to me”, the prime minister said: “I will just say that I strongly believe that women in public life get much more criticism and abuse than men, and I mean that is in politics, but it’s also across a number of other areas, I’d also say the media, frankly.”
Speaking to broadcasters from the G20 Summit in South Africa, he added: “There’s abuse and criticism of all politicians, but I’m acutely aware that women get much more abuse and criticism than men do and I think it’s about time we acknowledge that.”
Ms Reeves’ comments were met with a backlash as they came just days before she is due to deliver her highly anticipated autumn budget, following weeks of speculation about what it will contain.
There was chaos last week after an increase in income tax, which many had expected to be on the way, was revealed to no longer be on the cards.
Ms Reeves is grappling with weak economic growth, persistent inflation and an expected downgrade to official productivity forecasts as she prepares her statement.
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Shadow chancellor Mel Stride said the chancellor’s claims about mansplaining were a “smokescreen to try and get us off what’s really happening”.
“This isn’t about gender, this is about mismanagement of the economy,” he told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips.
“What Rachel Reeves can’t step away from is the fact that unemployment is at a five-year high, spiralling inflation, people feeling worse off, business confidence rock-bottom, anaemic growth.
“And all of those challenges are down to her choices, I’m afraid.”
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Ms Reeves has pledged to get a grip on the cost of living in her budget, which will be delivered on Wednesday 26 November.
Making people better off is a “fundamental precursor to economic growth”, she wrote in The Sunday Times.
However, while no longer expected to raise income tax, an extension of the freeze on income tax thresholds is among rumoured measures to fill an estimated £20bn blackhole in the public finances.
This would see more people dragged into paying tax for the first time or shifted into a higher rate as their wages go up.
