Sky News reports that Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has admitted to pleading guilty to an offence in 2014. Haigh reported a work phone stolen and was called in for questioning after she discovered “some time later” that “the mobile in question had not been taken.” Numerous sources tell Sky the false report was made so she could get “a more modern work handset that was being rolled out to her colleagues at the time”…
Labour candidate Haigh appeared at Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court six months before the 2015 election and pleaded guilty before getting a slap on the wrist. She did leave her job at Aviva shortly after the incident…
The Cabinet Minister and former policewoman insists it “was a genuine mistake from which I did not make any gain.” Not what that pleading indicates…
Sky notes Haigh is responsible for recruitment of the board which runs the British Transport Police. That’s a tough one…
Tom Baldwin, author of Starmer’s hagiography, spoke to Times Radio:
Tom Baldwin: “I think he’d like to do something. He’s very dutiful and driven by service. That’s why he came into politics. I think that’s characterised his time as prime minister. He hasn’t always sought popularity or been good at being popular. But I think he has some of the necessary qualities that we actually do want in a prime minister. That resilience, that relentlessness, that ability to carry the weight and the job really does weigh very heavily on people and he carries that weight very, very well.”
Jo Coburn: “NATO Secretary-General?”
Tom Baldwin: “I think that’s something that he would be interested in. I think it probably requires Andy Burnham’s government to support him in that and these are some of the questions which Andy Burnham has to resolve quite quickly.”