The Chancellor’s tears during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday sent shockwaves across Westminster.
The precise cause of Rachel Reeves’ distress on the front bench as the Prime Minister jousted with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch remains a matter of speculation but it was certainly uncomfortable to watch.
She is far from the first politician to show her emotions by shedding tears though.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some other examples over the years of politicians becoming tearful:
– Theresa May
Theresa May’s tenure as prime minister was dominated by Brexit. The former home secretary had the unenviable task of bringing the country back together after a divisive referendum and negotiating the UK’s exit from the European Union as she succeeded David Cameron in 2016.
Mrs May ultimately failed to deliver the latter of those goals and the toll that responsibility had taken on her during her time in No 10 perhaps showed as she delivered her resignation speech outside Downing Street in May 2019.
– Margaret Thatcher
Known as the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher portrayed strength during her 11-year reign as prime minister.
However, she too, showed a more human side when she broke down in tears as she said goodbye to Downing Street in 1990.
– George Osborne
George Osborne wept as he attended Baroness Thatcher’s funeral in 2013.
Mr Osborne, who was chancellor at the time, was moved to tears during a sermon by then Bishop of London Lord Chartres.
– Matt Hancock
Matt Hancock raised eyebrows as he appeared to wipe away a tear during a live appearance on Good Morning Britain as he reacted to news that a man called William Shakespeare had become the second person in the UK to receive a Covid vaccine.
“It’s been such a tough year for so many people,” the then health secretary told Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid in December 2020.
– Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown wept when he opened up about the death of his daughter Jennifer during a TV interview in 2010.
The then prime minister’s eyes filled with tears as he told Piers Morgan he knew that his newborn daughter was not going to survive.
She died in 2002 aged just 10 days after suffering a brain haemorrhage.
– Cherie Blair
Cherie Blair broke down in tears in 2002 as she tried to explain away the controversy surrounding convicted fraudster Peter Foster’s role in buying two flats for herself and her then prime minister husband Tony Blair.
“I know I’m in a very special position, I’m the wife of the Prime Minister, I have an interesting job and a wonderful family, but I also know I am not Superwoman,” she tearfully said in a statement to the press.
