Louise Haigh resigns as Transport Secretary over stolen phone fraud

Louise Haigh has become the first minister to leave Sir Keir Starmer’s government, a blow to the Prime Minister which has raised questions about her judgement.

The Transport Secretary wrote to the Prime Minister on Thursday evening to resign as Transport Secretary after admitting she was convicted of making a false statement to police over the theft of a mobile phone 10 years ago.

But it was claimed Sir Keir appointed her to his shadow cabinet in 2020 after she revealed the offense to him.

A number of comments on social media pointed out that when Boris Johnson was fined for breaching the Covid lockdown, Sir Keir tweeted: “You can’t be a lawmaker and a lawbreaker. »

An ally of Ms Haigh said Labor leader Sir Keir knew “all the facts” around her conviction when he appointed her to his shadow cabinet. At the time, Sir Keir was described as “extremely empathetic” towards Ms Haigh.

Sir Keir had promoted her three times, notably entrusting her with the parallel file on Northern Ireland – a subject close to the Prime Minister’s heart.

The ally also insisted: “Louise decided to resign herself, she was not forced. She is aware enough to know when she was becoming a distraction.

But Sir Keir’s spokesman repeatedly told reporters at a press briefing on Friday afternoon that Ms Haigh’s resignation came after new information emerged – without giving details of the nature of this information or whether Sir Keir had knowledge of the conviction.

And now, after less than six months in government, Sir Keir has lost his first choice as chief of staff Sue Gray and minister.

Ms Haigh, 37, was the youngest member of the cabinet and was at the forefront of a socialist transport agenda, with the renationalisation of rail and the return of buses to public ownership. She also managed to secure a £1 billion investment in buses and £500 million for potholes, while trying to reach a settlement for the beleaguered HS2 project.

In her letter to the Prime Minister, Ms Haigh said she was “totally committed to our political project” but would be better suited to serving outside government.

“I’m sorry to leave under these circumstances, but I’m proud of what we did,” she wrote. “I will continue to fight every day for the people of Sheffield Heeley who I was first and foremost elected to represent and to ensure the rest of our program is fully implemented.”

The mobile phone incident took place when Ms Haigh was in her 20s in 2013 and she told police she had been attacked on a night out.

Ms Haigh, who was a special constable with the Metropolitan Police between 2009 and 2011 but is believed to have worked for insurance giant Aviva at the time, said: “Some time later I discovered that the laptop in question had not been confiscated. In the meantime, I had received another work phone.

“The original working device being turned on attracted the attention of the police and I was asked to come forward for questioning. My lawyer advised me not to comment during this interview and I regret having followed this advice.

“The police took the matter to the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) and I appeared before magistrates.”

She added that it was a “real mistake” and that she had gained nothing from it.

Ms Haigh pleaded guilty to fraud at a magistrates court just six months before becoming an MP in the 2015 election.

She obtained a discharge — a type of conviction in which a court finds a person guilty of a minor offense but does not impose a penalty — in what she called “the weakest possible outcome.” The sentence has now passed.

In response to Ms Haigh’s letter, Sir Keir thanked her for her work and expressed optimism about her future ability to contribute to government.

“You have made huge progress in bringing our rail system back into public ownership through the creation of Great British Railways, investing £1 billion in our vital bus services and reducing costs for motorists,” he said. -he writes.

“I know you still have a huge contribution to make in the future.”

However, there has been speculation over Ms Haigh’s position in recent weeks after DP World, owner of P&O Ferries, threatened to pull £1bn of investment after she made comments about her boycott due to past hiring and firing practices.

Conservatives said the resignation raises questions about the prime minister’s judgment.

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “Louise Haigh made the right choice in resigning. It is clear that she has failed to perform to the standards expected of an MP.

“In her resignation letter she states that Keir Starmer already knew about the fraud conviction, raising questions as to why the Prime Minister appointed Ms Haigh to cabinet with responsibility for a budget of £30 billion? It is now up to Keir Starmer to explain this obvious failure of judgment to the British public.”

Mick Lynch congratulated Ms Haigh on the “historic achievement” of laying the foundations for returning the railways to public ownership.

The general secretary of the RMT transport union said: “Louise achieved much during her time as Transport Secretary, including laying the foundations for public ownership of our railways – a historic achievement which prioritizes to the needs of passengers and workers rather than private profit.

“His vision and dedication paved the way for a transportation system that is fairer, more efficient and accountable to the public. »