Rachel Reeves appeared in tears at PMQs after suffering a huge Labour rebellion amid welfare chaos.
Tears were seen running down her right cheek after Tory leader Kemi Badenoch told the chancellor that “she looks miserable”.
Sir Keir also refused to answer whether Reeves will still be in post by the next election.
It comes after MPs voted in favour of the government’s welfare cuts after Keir Starmer made an eleventh hour U-turn to avoid an embarrassing Commons defeat.
MPs voted in favour of the government’s bill last night by 335 votes for, to 260 against – giving Keir Starmer a majority of 75.
They also rejected an amendment to kill off the legislation altogether that had been tabled by Labour backbencher Rachael Maskell, although this was still backed by 149 MPs.
It marks the biggest rebellion of Sir Keir’s premiership to date as 49 Labour MPs voted against the changes.
In a last ditch bid to calm a rebellion, the PM was forced to shelve plans to make major cuts to personal independence payments just 90 minutes before the vote was due to take place.
The concession to rebel backbenchers means eligibility criteria for Pip are pending a review. Under the original proposals, it was planned to cut the health element of universal credit and make it harder for disabled people to claim PIP in an attempt to save £5 billion from the welfare bill.
But in a dramatic intervention in the Commons this afternoon, DWP minister Stephen Timms confirmed the U-turn, saying the findings of his review would be published before any changes to the Pip system were carried out.