Rachel Reeves urges Labour MPs to back her make-or-break budget

Rachel Reeves told MPs the budget would be ‘a package not a pick and mix … you can’t say I like the cola bottles but not the fruit salad.’ Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Rachel Reeves has privately urged Labour MPs to back her make-or-break budget, saying they will not like every measure but promising it will be “fair”.

Speaking to a fractious parliamentary party, after a fortnight of leadership speculation, the chancellor said “politics is a team sport” and promised there would be a package of appealing measures in the budget that they could present to their constituents.