Rachel Reeves hangs portrait of communist hero Ellen Wilkinson in No 11 Downing Street
30 October 2024, 09:57
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been pictured ahead of Wednesday's Budget, with images revealing a portrait of a former Communist education minister presiding over the Treasury.
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Number 11s newest resident, former Communist Party of Great Britain leader Ellen Wilkinson, can now be found surveying the Chancellor's office.
It comes as Reeves is set to become the first female Chancellor of the Exchequer to deliver the Budget.
Previous Treasury portraits include Nigel Lawson, Margaret Thatcher’s chancellor, as he presented the budget.
But Reeves choice of artwork has raised some eyebrows.
Wilkinson became Britain’s first female education secretary in 1945 and played a key role in the expansion of women’s suffrage — but also has notable links to revolutionary communism, rubbing shoulders with the likes of both Lenin and Trotsky.
Wilkinson was nicknamed “Red Ellen” for her red hair and communist sensibilities.
Best known for leading the “Jarrow crusade” of workers, she protested against unemployment and poverty in Tyneside throughout 1936.
It comes as Reeves prepares to reveal the harsh realities of Labour's tough talking Autumn Budget.
Wednesday's announcement is expected to prioritise fixing the NHS and growing the economy.
Read more: Exclusive: Almost 6 in 10 Brits think the Chancellor is wrong on winter fuel payment cut
She will tell the House of Commons from the despatch box that there are "no shortcuts" to driving the economic growth Labour has promised to deliver other than to invest.
Reeves is also expected to promise to the country that the "prize on offer" for Labour’s plans is "immense" after drawing criticisms for trailed policies ahead of the Budget.
The decisions made by Reeves in today's budget expected to bring around £35billion a year extra for the Treasury.
