Louise Haigh resigns as transport secretary after admitting to offence over phone claim
IndependentNOV 20 2024
UK Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has resigned after revelations emerged about her 2014 conviction for making a false police report regarding a stolen work phone while employed at Aviva in 2013.UK Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has resigned, after revelations emerged that she faced a 2014 conviction for making a false police report regarding a stolen work phone while she was employed at Aviva in 2013.
Haigh, who was 24 at the time, claimed she mistakenly reported her work phone stolen during a mugging incident and received a conditional discharge from magistrates for the offense.
In her resignation letter, Haigh stated that "this issue will inevitably be a distraction" and that while "totally committed to [Starmer's] political project," it would be "best served" outside of government.The conviction was reportedly "fully disclosed" when Haigh joined the shadow cabinet in 2020. First elected as an MP in 2015, the youngest member of Starmer's Cabinet was overseeing a £30B transport budget.
Haigh's resignation is a sad loss for Labour. Her work on renationalizing the railways and fighting for workers' rights was transformative, yet a decade-old mistake has overshadowed her achievements. It's hard not to see this as disproportionate –— a young woman who was mugged, made a genuine error, and adisclosed spentthe conviction she disclosed years-old agodiscretion. Instead of supporting a proven leader, the government let pressure and optics force her out. Labour is weaker without her in the Cabinet, and it will not be long until we see her return to frontline politics.
Starmer's judgment is under scrutiny after Haigh's resignation. Despite knowing about her conviction when appointing her, Starmer allowed her to hold a critical cabinet role until public exposure forced her to step down. This raises questions about his leadership and commitment to transparency. If a conviction is disqualifying now, why wasn't it beforewhen she was appointed? Starmer's inconsistency undermines trust in his administration, suggesting political convenience outweighs accountability in his decision-making.
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Starmer's judgment is under scrutiny after Haigh's resignation. Despite knowing about her conviction when appointing her, Starmer allowed her to hold a critical cabinet role until public exposure forced her to step down. This raises questions about his leadership and commitment to transparency. If a conviction is disqualifying now, why wasn't it when she was appointed? Starmer's inconsistency undermines trust in his administration, suggesting political convenience outweighs accountability in his decision-making.