The Conservative Party has launched a direct attack on Chancellor Rachel Reeves, creating an official petition demanding her immediate dismissal from government.
The 'Sack Reeves' Campaign
On November 30, 2025, the Conservatives unveiled a website called 'SackReeves.com' that urges voters to pressure Prime Minister Keir Starmer into firing his Chancellor. The campaign accuses Ms Reeves of deliberately misrepresenting economic forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility to justify what they term her 'Benefits Street Budget'.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch took to social media platform X to amplify the message, stating: 'Sack Reeves Now. We have learned that the Chancellor misrepresented the OBR's forecasts. She sold her Benefits Street Budget on a lie. Honesty matters.'
The Budget Forecast Controversy
The political firestorm erupted after the OBR published a letter on Friday revealing that Rachel Reeves had 'at no point' faced a financial shortfall exceeding £2.5 billion. This directly contradicted weeks of dire warnings from government ministers about needing to make 'hard choices' due to significant budget constraints.
More surprisingly, the independent watchdog disclosed that the Chancellor had been informed as early as October that the government would actually be running a surplus. Despite this positive news, Ms Reeves held a notably gloomy press conference on November 4 that suggested the OBR's forecasts were worse than anticipated.
This backdrop preceded Wednesday's Budget, which introduced £26 billion in new tax increases, including new gambling charges, electric vehicle fees, and a controversial 'mansion tax'.
Defence and Public Reaction
Rachel Reeves has strongly denied misleading the public about the state of public finances. Appearing on Sky News' Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, the Chancellor stated: 'Of course I didn't lie' about the budget situation.
She defended her decisions as 'fair and necessary choices' made in response to a £16 billion downgrade in productivity forecasts. Ms Reeves maintained she had been 'honest and frank' about the need to increase taxes.
The petition has sparked vigorous debate across social media platforms. Some voters, like Carol Lord, expressed confidence that Keir Starmer would stand by his Chancellor, noting: 'He won't sack her, because historically if the Chancellor goes the prime minister follows!'
Others defended the Budget decisions, with Daniel Edwards commenting: 'The markets are up, we have more headroom now so maybe if you look at the bigger picture she's pulled a blinder.'
Despite the controversy, the Budget contained some measures welcomed by campaigners, particularly the decision to scrap the controversial two-child benefit cap. The government estimates this move will reduce child poverty by 450,000 by 2029/30, though it will cost approximately £3 billion by the end of the current Parliament.
