Louise Haigh resigns as Transport Secretary
Published 29 November 2024
Louise Haigh became the first ministerial casualty of Keir Starmer's government today, quitting as Transport Secretary after she admitted she has an historic fraud conviction.
The 37-year-old, who is seen as a leading member of Labour's 'soft left', stepped down early this morning after admitting she appeared in court in 2014 - before she was an MP - after claiming she had her mobile phone stolen in a mugging.
In a statement, the Sheffield Heeley MP - a former special constable and shadow policing minister - said she discovered 'some time later' that the work phone had not been taken.
She said the matter was a 'genuine mistake' from which she 'did not make any gain'. She pleaded guilty to fraud by misrepresentation after a probe by her then employer, insurance giant Aviva, and magistrates gave her the 'lowest possible outcome'.
This morning she said she was leaving to avoid the matter becoming a 'distraction'. But in a letter to Sir Keir she revealed that she revealed her conviction to the party leader four years ago, when he appointed her to his shadow ministerial team.
A Conservative Party spokesman said this 'raises questions as to why the Prime Minister appointed Ms Haigh to Cabinet with responsibility for a £30bn budget'.
'The onus is now on Keir Starmer to explain this obvious failure of judgement to the British public,' they added.
ersy by agreeing to pay striking London Underground drivers a 14.25 per cent no-strings pay rise in order to end industrial action crippling the capital.
She has also pushed to increase state funding for bus services, and has supported the push towards electric cars replacing petrol and diesel vehicles.
Haigh was also seen as a Cabinet supporter of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner's push to increase workers' rights, which critics say will cost jobs and lead to more strikes.
Last month she was rebuked by the PM after criticising P&O ferries as a 'rogue operator' for its decision to sack all its staff and replace them with cheaper agency staff.