Since BBC News reported on Thursday that Rachel Reeves had exaggerated her online CV and had been investigated over her use of expenses while working at Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS), Labour colleagues have mounted a robust defence of the chancellor.

The Chancellor struggled to answer one simple question about her expenses as she broke her silence following the BBC investigation.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves was investigated over her expenses while working as an economist at Halifax Bank of Scotland before she became an MP, a three months probe by the BBC has found. The Chancellor's online employment history was also found to be inaccurate for the second time in two months,