Rachel Reeves resembled an ‘anxious school headmistress’ in her pre-budget speech this morning as she insisted her looming manifesto-smashing tax raid was everyone’s fault but her own, a leading body language expert has claimed.
The Chancellor took the highly unusual step of teeing up her fiscal package in Downing Street today where she ominously paved the way for a broad tax assault.
Communication expert Judi James has now revealed some of the subtle signs that Ms Reeves was in fact ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘anxious’ underneath her ‘performative’ façade.
Ms James said: ‘There was a blatant attempt to project visual signals of power and calm competence here from a “firm hand on the rudder” performance that veered in style between a whey-faced Covid lecture and a telling off from the school head.
‘The veneer of calm was not underpinned by her subtler body language cues though. These were incongruent, hinting at some potentially underlying panic and anxiety (again like most of the Covid lectures).’
During her speech, Ms Reeves stood in front of a podium with the slogan ‘strong foundations, secure future’.
Flanked by Union Jacks, the Chancellor appeared to boldly declare there were no ‘easy answers’.
But among the bogus indications of confidence, according to Ms James, were her ‘presidential-style framing’ and ‘regal purple jacket with padded shoulders’.
A lower camera also made Ms Reeves appear like she was ‘speaking from a lofty height’ as her ‘teeth-baring delivery’ gave the appearance of ‘snarling’ as she spoke.
Other giveaway signs, according to Ms James, were her use of the word ‘right’ to imply an unquestionable correctness of thinking as well as her splaying of arms as she held the lectern – creating a ‘desire to show confidence’.
Communication expert Judi James has now revealed some of the subtle signs that Ms Reeves was in fact ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘anxious’ beneath her ‘performative’ façade
Among the bogus indications of confidence, according to Ms James, were her ‘presidential-style framing’ and ‘regal purple jacket with padded shoulders’
A lower camera made Ms Reeves appear like she was ‘speaking from a lofty height’
In a blatant softening up exercise ahead of her announcements on November 26, Ms Reeves said there is a ‘clear choice’ between ‘investment and hope, or cuts and division’.
Rather than take responsibility for the grim situation, she offered a laundry list of excuses, including Brexit, Tory austerity, Donald Trump, Covid and the Ukraine war.
The Chancellor repeatedly dodged invitations to repeat Labour’s election vow not to increase income tax, national insurance or VAT.
She said she would do ‘what is right’ rather than ‘popular’ and prioritise ‘protecting our NHS, reducing our national debt, and improving the cost of living’.
‘Any Chancellor of any party would be standing here facing the choices that I face,’ she insisted.
Ms James, who has spent 15 years developing image and presentation skills for some of the UK’s leading organisations, said the Chancellor made ‘very conscious and coached-looking lighthouse eye contact’ during the comments.
A question put to Ms Reeves about her previous promise not to come back with more taxes also prompted an interesting response, according to Ms James.
Despite having undoubtedly prepared ‘at length’ for it, her face was described as ‘draining of its last tinges colour as she stood listening in a frozen pose’.
Ms Reeves’s ‘teeth-baring delivery’ gave the appearance of ‘snarling’ as she spoke
The Chancellor made ‘very conscious and coached-looking lighthouse eye contact’ during her speech
Ms James added: ‘Her blink rate increased from under her fringe in a suggestion of anxiety, with some micro-gestures adding to the sense of discomfort.
‘Her upper lip rippled slightly and her lower fell open before closing in what looked like a self-attack biting of the lower lip.
‘The question came with a second one about her rental licence and here she looked down in a cut-off ritual that hid her eye expression as she seemed to be furiously writing notes rather than listening or responding visually.
‘But one of the biggest ‘cues’ came when she did reply. Although her speech had been read competently, her off-piste dialogues were suddenly peppered with verbal fillers, suggesting a lack of confidence about her messaging.
‘Verbal fillers are all the unnecessary words and noises we sprinkle into out dialogues when we’re feeling anxious, under pressure or unsure. The “um” and “ers” increase, which is what happened to Reeves, with her use of “um” suddenly increasing dramatically.’
Ms James concluded: ‘Her sign off suddenly became oddly girlish with an unserious-sounding ‘Bye bye’ and a skipping off stage suggesting potential relief at having completed her brief.’
The Chancellor has been hiding from the media since the Daily Mail revealed last week that she broke the law by failing to obtain the licence needed to rent out her family home.
No10 has refused to say whether Labour’s manifesto pledge to not increase income tax, VAT or National Insurance still stands.
Ms Reeves returns from No 9 Downing Street after her pre-budget speech today
Ms Reeves is considering a proposal from the Left-wing Resolution Foundation to raise income tax by 2p, in what would be the first increase in the basic rate for 50 years.
The move could be partially offset by a 2p cut in National Insurance but would still raise an extra £6billion a year from pensioners and others.
If Ms Reeves targets income tax it will be the first time in 50 years the rate has been increased.
She is also looking to extend the six-year freeze on tax thresholds, dragging millions more into higher tax bands – despite previously warning the move would break Labour’s manifesto pledge.
Treasury officials are said to have been ordered to find ways of getting more money out of everyone with incomes of more than £45,000 a year.
Insiders claim that only Brits below that threshold – the bottom two-thirds of earners – are being defined as ‘working people’ to receive protection from Labour‘s tax assault.
That effectively brands the top third of earners as ‘wealthy’ – encompassing jobs such as HGV drivers, teachers and head chefs at the Wagamama restaurant chain.
Sources have confirmed that bigger property taxes are on the radar.
The Chancellor is said to be looking at dramatically hiking council tax for the top bands, which could affect over a million families.
That could mean an eye-watering rise from £3,800 to £7,600 for residents of a band G household in England – and from £4,560 a year to £9,120 for those in band H.
The move would hammer London and the South East, where property prices are higher. Critics warned it would spark a crisis for pensioners on fixed incomes and families who have stretched themselves to afford a dream home.
Capital gains, pension reliefs, inheritance tax and partnership structures have also been listed among the ways Labour could seek to raise funds.
Final decisions are unlikely to be made for another week or so, when the OBR will start factoring the Government’s plans into its draft forecasts.
