Top Tory sets out 6 questions Rachel Reeves must answer over 'incredibly serious' CV row

Top Tory Richard Holden has written to Rachel Reeves this evening, demanding that she answer six key questions as reports about her work history .

The Chancellor is facing that she has been misleading about her claims of a career as an economist before entering politics, after she was caught quietly editing her LinkedIn profile last week.

Now the Conservatives are pressing her to be more transparent about her work history, insisting the row is far from trivial.

Richard Holden, the former party chairman, has written to the Chancellor this evening demanding she clarify key facts.

Mr Holden, who is the party's Shadow Paymaster General, describes the row as "incredibly serious" and one that raises "significant concerns about your ability to be honest with the British public".

He writes: "You will be aware of various reporting over the weekend relating to your employment history."

"The allegations raised, including that you misrepresented your role at HBOS, and then edited your CV after this being discovered, are not trivial matters - and leave serious questions.

"As you know standards in public life are upheld by rigorous accountability and transparency - which is why I write to you seeking clarity.

"This is equally important as many businesses and working people already feel as if Labour had not been honest with them. Whether it be the working people and businesses who believed you would not increase National Insurance; the farmers who believed Keir Starmer when he told them he would protect their way of life or the pensioners who believed Labour would protect the Winter Fuel Payment.

The top Tory says he wants answers to the following six key questions:

Between what years were you employed by the Bank of England?

What was your job title at the Bank of England?

Between what years were you employed by HBOS?

What was your job title at HBOS?

What was the reason you left HBOS?

Will you now publish a full, unedited CV?

This afternoon Downing Street insisted Ms Reeves has been "straight" with the British public.

Asked if the PM was concerned that Reeves had exaggerated her CV, the PM's spokesperson told journalists at the morning lobby briefing: "The Prime Minister is very clear that the Chancellor has restored financial stability."

"This is someone who on coming into office looked under the bonnet and exposed a £22bn black hole in the public finances, and has been straight with the public about what is necessary to balance the books and restore financial stability in the face of that."

Asked again about the stories, the spokesperson said: "The PM is very clear that this is a Chancellor that has been straight with the public about the state of the public finances and what is necessary to restore financial stability. That is most important."