Louise Haigh has stepped down as the UK’s Transport Secretary after revealing a past conviction related to incorrectly reporting a stolen work mobile phone in 2013. Haigh pleaded guilty to making a false report to police and received a discharge, considered the “lowest possible outcome”.
In her resignation letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Haigh stated that despite being “totally committed to our political project,” she believes it would be “best served by my supporting you from outside government” . Haigh’s resignation marks the first from the prime minister’s Cabinet.
The incident occurred in 2013 when Haigh reported her work phone stolen during a mugging, only to discover later that the phone was still in her possession. She attributed the mistake to confusion following the mugging.
Haigh’s brief tenure as Transport Secretary was marked by controversy, including a row with P&O Ferries, which she described as a “rogue operator”. Prime Minister Starmer thanked Haigh for her work, acknowledging the “huge strides” she made in taking the rail system back into public ownership.
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