Louise Haigh has resigned as Transport Secretary after admitting last night she pleaded guilty to fraud in 2014. Read her letter to the PM below:
“As you know, in 2013 I was mugged in London. As a 24-year-old woman, the experience was terrifying. In the immediate aftermath, I reported the incident to the police. I gave the police a list of my possessions that I believed had been stolen, including my work phone. Some time later, I discovered that the handset in question was still in my house. I should have immediately informed my employer and not doing so straight away was a mistake.
“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…
My appointment to your Cabinet as the youngest ever woman remains one of the proudest achievements of my life, but not as proud as the steps we took to improve the lives of the British people…
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 to ensure that the rest of our programme is delivered in full.”
No surprises there, looks like she took her own advice. Starmer – who knew about the conviction since 2020 – responded with his own, rather short letter:
“Thank you for all you have done to deliver this Government’s transport agenda.
You have made huge strides to take our rail system back into public ownership through the creation of Great British Railways, investing £1bn in our vital bus services and lowering cost for motorists. I know you still have a huge contribution to make in the future.”
The first Cabinet Minister to resign from Starmer’s front bench. The adults are back in charge…
Red Wall Labour backbencher Jonathan Brash told GB News that Starmer should resign:
“I’m completely fed up about it, and I think it’s got to the point now where I genuinely think that, as far as the Prime Minister is concerned, it’s not a case of if, it’s when.”