Transport Secretary Louise Haigh resigns after admitting offence

Louise Haigh has resigned as Transport Secretary, saying in a letter to the Prime Minister that she is “totally committed to our political project” but believes “it will be best served by my supporting you from outside Government”. Haigh has admitted she pleaded guilty after she incorrectly told police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013.

In her letter to Sir Keir Starmer she said: “I appreciate that whatever the facts of the matter, this issue will inevitably be a distraction from delivering on the work of this government and the policies to which we are both committed. I will always be grateful for the support you have shown me, and I take great pride in what we achieved since the election.”

She added: “I remain totally committed to our political project, but I now believe it will be best served by my supporting you from outside Government.

“I am sorry to leave under these circumstances, but I take pride in what we have done. 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 that the rest of our programme is delivered in full.”

In a reply, the Prime Minister wrote: “Thank you for all you have done to deliver this Government’s ambitious transport agenda. You have made huge strides to take our rail system back into public ownership through the creation of Great British Railways, investing £1 billion in our vital bus services and lowering cost for motorists. I know you still have a huge contribution to make in the future.”

Sky News and the Times newspaper reported on Thursday evening that Ms Haigh admitted an offence in 2014 following the incident. She had reported to police the device was stolen when she was “mugged” in 2013. In a statement, Ms Haigh has said she discovered “some time later” that the phone had not been taken.

She said the matter was a “genuine mistake” from which she “did not make any gain”, and that magistrates gave her the “lowest possible outcome”. The Transport Secretary said in her statement: “In 2013 I was mugged while on a night out. I was a young woman and the experience was terrifying.

“I reported it to the police and gave them a list of what I believed had been taken – including a work mobile phone that had been issued by my employer. Some time later I discovered that the mobile in question had not been taken. In the interim I had been issued with another work phone.

“The original work device being switched on triggered police attention and I was asked to come in for questioning. My solicitor advised me not to comment during that interview and I regret following that advice. The police referred the matter to the CPS and I appeared before Southwark magistrates.

"Under the advice of my solicitor I pleaded guilty – despite the fact this was a genuine mistake from which I did not make any gain. The magistrates accepted all of these arguments and gave me the lowest possible outcome (a discharge) available.”

Ms Haigh has been Sheffield Heeley MP since 2015 and held a number of shadow ministerial and shadow cabinet roles before becoming Transport Secretary when Labour won the election in July. Before she entered politics she spent time as a special constable.

It is understood that it was a fraud offence and the incident was disclosed in full to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer when she joined the shadow cabinet. The conviction is now spent. The chair of the Conservative Party said the Prime Minister has “serious questions” to answer about the matter.

Nigel Huddleston said in a statement: “These are extremely concerning revelations about the person responsible for managing £30 billion of taxpayers’ money. Keir Starmer has serious questions to answer regarding what he knew and when about the person he appointed as Transport Secretary admitting to having misled the police.”