‘It’s a strength’: female business leaders back Reeves’ tearful moment

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Female business leaders have lent their support to Rachel Reeves over the chancellor’s tearful appearance in the House of Commons last week, with the head of the CBI employers’ group saying displaying emotion is part of “our humanity”.

Rain Newton-Smith told a CBI dinner in Cambridge this week that “a lot of female leaders” had been in touch with her, asking her to convey solidarity with Reeves after she shed tears following the government’s humbling defeat on welfare reforms.

The Treasury has maintained its line that the chancellor was dealing with unspecified “personal matters”.

Newton-Smith told a business audience: “I just think what comes from this is people realising difficult things happen in your lives. Showing your emotion at these times isn’t necessarily a sign of weakness.

“As a female leader, when I saw that, it was quite difficult. A lot of female leaders got in touch with me and said can you get a message to the chancellor?

“It wasn’t a political point, but just them saying that as a female leader and leader in business, we show our humanity. It’s part of our vulnerability but it’s not always a bad thing.”

Newton-Smith added: “Many female leaders have said it’s quite brave to be able to show that.”

She noted that other chancellors, such as the sometimes short-tempered Gordon Brown, had “dealt with pressure maybe in a different way”.

Shirine Khoury-Haq, chief executive of The Co-op, said in her 30 years in business, she had seen many people in tears at work and it was rarely related to the work itself.

“Hearing bad news or facing personal difficulties while still having to show up and lead is hard enough. Doing it in the public eye, with every moment captured, is something else entirely,” she said.

“People express emotion in different ways. But I can tell you that leaders who lead with empathy are the strongest and best leaders I have worked with. It’s not a weakness, it’s a strength.”

Gilt yields soared on the day Reeves appeared tearful in the Commons as it triggered market fears she might be about to leave the Treasury, possibly signalling a relaxation of the government’s fiscal discipline.

Julie Abraham, chief executive of music equipment retailer Richer Sounds, who last year signed a letter welcoming Reeves becoming the first female chancellor, said while she was not a fan of all of Reeves’ policies, she should be given “kudos for turning up when she’s going through it and doing the job”.

“The difference is that the chancellor was on camera in the most public job you can get. Everyone knew the job itself was going to be a shitshow, and what the market reaction showed was actually there’s no one better for that job.”

Jo Whitfield, former chief executive of Matalan and a board director at Asda, agreed.

She said while most people in the workplace try to deal with their emotions outside of work, “every now and then there’s a straw that breaks the camel’s back. But almost every time it’s crying out of frustration, not being overwhelmed or not up to the job.

“It would be a shame if she feels she now needs to morph into an even steelier “she-male” type figure to show she’s not weak.”

However, one anonymous female chief executive said that while she had been moved to tears at work, “there is no way I would let anyone see me get upset, you keep that out of sight and shut it down”.

Shevaun Haviland, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said her “heart went out to her” and it made her think about the “thankless” job Reeves has.

Sam Smith, founder and former boss of City broker FinnCap, said there had “been a nasty reaction that because she welled up, it meant she’s a rubbish leader. That is not the case, it is a moment of expressing emotion”.

Wartime prime minister Winston Churchill was frequently lachrymose in public, while in recent years Matt Hancock, the former Conservative health secretary, cried live on television when Britons received the first Covid vaccines.