Transport Secretary Louise Haigh resigns after mobile phone guilty plea 'mistake'

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has stepped down from her position.

This follows a report from Sky News stating that she admitted to wrongdoing for providing false information to the police regarding a work mobile phone that she claimed was stolen back in 2013.

In her resignation letter today, she referred to the incident as a "blunder" but emphasized that "regardless of the actual circumstances, this matter will surely divert attention from the government's work."

She sent a letter to the prime minister saying, "As you're aware, I was attacked in London back in 2013. At 24 years old, it was a truly frightening experience. Right after it happened, I informed the police about the incident."

I reported to the police a list of items I thought had been taken, which included my work phone. Later on, I found out that the phone was actually still in my home.

"I should have told my boss right away. Not doing that was an error."

Ms. Haigh expressed that although she is fully dedicated to our political initiative, she feels that her support would be more beneficial if it's outside of the government.

The representative for Sheffield Heeley continued, "I regret having to depart like this, but I feel a sense of pride in our accomplishments."

"I will keep striving every day for the residents of Sheffield Heeley, whom I was primarily chosen to represent, and to make sure that we fulfill our entire agenda."

In reply, Sir Keir Starmer expressed his gratitude to Ms. Haigh for her significant efforts in advancing the government's bold transportation plans. He also mentioned, "I am aware that you will continue to play an important role moving forward."

Prior to her political career, the MP worked as a special constable with the Metropolitan Police. She served from 2009 to 2011 in the South London borough of Lambeth, which is near the area where she would later face conviction.

In 2017, Jeremy Corbyn named her as the shadow minister for policing. She often relied on her background with the Metropolitan Police while questioning the Conservative government about the increasing pressures faced by police officers.

In her role as transport secretary, Ms. Haigh selected individuals to serve on the board responsible for overseeing the British Transport Police.

In 2019, she accused Boris Johnson of misleading the police and violating trust significantly, alleging that he had made political use of on-duty officers during a speech in West Yorkshire.

In 2020, Sir Keir appointed the MP as the shadow secretary for Northern Ireland, and in 2021, he transitioned her to the role of shadow transport secretary.

In this summary, she was a vocal opponent of P&O Ferries’ decision to lay off 800 employees in 2022. Once she took on the role of transport secretary, she labeled P&O as a "rogue operator" and urged people to avoid using their services in October.

The remarks prompted the company’s owner, based in Dubai, to reassess a proposed £1 billion investment in a UK port. This decision was reaffirmed following urgent discussions between government officials and the firm.

However, Sir Keir openly criticized her, stating that her opinions did not represent the government's stance.

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