Rachel Reeves forced to correct parliamentary record after bungling figures

Rachel Reeves has been forced to correct the official parliamentary record after bungling her figures. The Treasury has corrected Hansard, the transcript of what MPs and peers have said in Parliament, following errors by the Chancellor.

Ms Reeves slipped up while discussing unemployment and pension reforms during a recent grilling by peers. In one exchange with former Chancellor Lord Lamont, she twice claimed that the £425 billion Local Government Pension Scheme was managed by "96 administering authorities" which she wants to cut to "eight pools".

However, the Treasury subsequently said: “The correct figures are that there are 86 different administering authorities, with plans to take that down to six pools.”

Treasury officials also clarified the "just over 4%" figure Ms Reeves told peers on the House of Lords Economic Affairs committee for the unemployment rate.

However, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics was closer to 5% at 4.7%.

Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith accused Ms Reeves of a "shocking grasp of detail".

He told the Mail on Sunday: "When she's writing such big cheques with taxpayers' money, it's no time to be loose with your numbers."

It comes as the Chancellor faces intense speculation over what tax hikes she will unveil at the upcoming autumn budget.