Transport
secretary
Louise
Haigh
has
resigned
over
a
conviction
she
received
in
2014 in
connection
with
a
mobile
phone,
which
she
had
wrongly
said
was
stolen.

She
had
made
a
mistake
but
pleaded
guilty
to
making
a
false
report
to
police,
which
amounted
to fraud
by
false
representation, having
been
advised
by
a
lawyer
not
to
comment
during
a
police
interview.

The
case
went
to
Camberwell
Green
magistrates’
court
in
London
where
she
was
given
a
conditional
discharge,
which
is
technically
a
conviction
but
does
not
involve
a
fine
or
other
penalty.
She
was
elected
as
MP
for
Sheffield
Heeley
six
months
later.
It
is
understood
that
the
Prime
Minister
had
been
aware
of
the
case
when
she
was
appointed
transport
secretary.

She
said:
‘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
[Crown
Prosecution
Service]
and
I
appeared
before
magistrates’
court.’

She
has
written
to
Prime
Minister
Keir
Starmer
offering
her
resignation,
while
assuring
him
that
she
remains
‘totally
committed
to
our
political
project’.

Sir
Keir
has
replied: ‘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
costs
for
motorists.
I
know
you
still
have
a
huge
contribution
to
make
in
the
future.’

Ms
Haigh
is
the
first
cabinet
minister
to
resign
since
Labour
came
to
power
after
the
General
Election
on
4
July
this
year.
Her
conviction
is
now
spent.

A
Conservative
party
spokesman
said:
‘Louise
Haigh
has
done
the
right
thing
in
resigning.
It
is
clear
she
has
failed
to
behave
to
the
standards
expected
of
an
MP. In
her
resignation
letter,
she
states
that
Keir
Starmer
was
already
aware
of
the
fraud
conviction,
which
raises
questions
as
to
why
the
prime
minister
appointed
Ms
Haigh
to
cabinet
with
responsibility
for
a
£30
billion
budget? The
onus
is
now
on
Keir
Starmer
to
explain
this
obvious
failure
of
judgement
to
the
British
public.’ 

One
of
her
priorities
had
been
railway
reform,
which
includes
bringing
the
remaining
private
sector
operators
back
into
public
ownership.

Her
resignation
has
come
less
than
24
hours
since
it
was
announced
that
the





Passenger
Railway
Services
(Public
Ownership)
Act

had
received
Royal
Assent.

The
new
law
makes
public
ownership
of
railway
passenger
contracts
the
default,
rather
than
the
last
resort.

Ms
Haigh
had
become
well
known
for
describing
herself
as
‘Passenger
in
chief’,
and
saying
that
she
intended
to
’move
fast
and
fix
things’.

The
first
two





private
sector
passenger
operators

to
be
affected
by
the
new
Act
are
set
to
have
their
contracts
terminated
in
April.