Rachel Reeves: Immigration, welfare and Thornberry tweet The previous Labour government should "not have opened the doors as quickly" to immigrants from the EU, said the shadow work and pensions secretary. Rachel Reeves said it should have made welfare changes earlier, as she explained plans she announced last week were "entirely consistent with the history of the Labour Party." She spoke to Andrew Neil about the Rochester and Strood by-election, where she said the Kent seat was not on its list of 106 target seats for the 2015 general election, and winning all of those would give a "large majority of more 60 at the general election" Speaking on the Sunday Politics, she said Emily Thornberry's Rochester tweet appeared "condescending and disrespectful" and it was right for her to leave her job.