Kemi Badenoch delivered a brutal swipe at Rachel Reeves as she highlighted claims the Chancellor exaggerated her CV, during a brutal question and answer session in Parliament. Ms Reeves has claimed she worked as “an economist” at the Bank, but Mrs Badenoch highlighted claims that the Chancellor held a more junior role.

The Conservative leader was asking Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer about rising levels of unemployment among young people during PMQs in the House of Commons. Mrs Badenoch said: “It is not just that he is saddling graduates with debt. Yesterday the Bank of England …” And pointing at the Chancellor, Mrs Badenoch continued: “Yes, where she used to work, in customer services, the Bank of England, said that his policies are fuelling youth unemployment.”

The Conservative leader said: “For the first time ever, youth unemployment is now higher here than in the EU.”

She told Sir Keir: “And while he blamed everyone else, our young people can’t get jobs, they are losing hope and even leaving the country.”

Despite claiming to be an economist, it’s been reported that Ms Reeves held roles including “head of planning, customer relations” and “head of customers, mortgages”. It’s led to her being nicknamed “Rachel from accounts”.

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The Bank of England’s chief economist Huw Pill this week warned that the effect of higher employers’ taxes and minimum wage increases has been “particularly acute” for young people.

Unemployment for the UK as a whole has risen to 5.2% and Mr Pill told the Commons Treasury committee he was particularly concerned about unemployment among young people.

Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England, told the same committee: “The youth unemployment rate is around 16% now. That is high, it’s gone up more rapidly than the overall level.”