Transport Secretary Louise Haigh resigns after Sky News reveals she has pleaded guilty to mobile phone hacking

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh resigned after it was revealed she had pleaded guilty to falsely reporting to police that a work mobile phone had been stolen in 2013.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, he described the incident as a “mistake” but said that “whatever the facts of the matter, this matter will inevitably prevent this government from delivering on its work”.

comes later Sky News revealed details of the attack last nightMs Haigh said in a statement that she had been “attacked on a night out” and that she told police her work phone was among the items stolen, but “after some time” it became clear that this was not the case.

In her resignation letter, she hinted that Sir Keir knew this, telling him: “As you know, I was assaulted in London in 2013. As a 24-year-old woman, the experience was horrifying. Immediately afterwards, I reported the incident to the police.”

“I gave the police a list of my belongings that I believed were stolen, including my work phone. After a while, I discovered that the phone in question was still in my home.

“I should have notified my employer immediately, and not doing so immediately was a mistake.”

Ms Haigh later said that while she was “fully committed to our political project”, she believed “this will be best achieved if I support you from outside government”.

Sheffield MP Heeley later added: “I am sorry to leave in these circumstances but I am proud of what we have done.

“I will continue to fight every day for the people of Sheffield Heeley that I have been elected to represent first and foremost, and to ensure the rest of our program is delivered in full.”

In response, Sir Keir Starmer He thanked Ms Haigh for “everything you have done to deliver the government’s ambitious transport agenda” and said: “I know you still have a huge contribution to make in the future.”

Before entering politics, the MP was a special constable with the Metropolitan Police Service; Between 2009 and 2011 he was stationed in the South London Borough of Lambeth, close to where he was convicted a few years later.

He was appointed shadow police minister by. Jeremy Corbyn He frequently drew on his experience at the Met when challenging the Tory government over rising demands on civil servants in 2017.

As transport secretary, Ms Haigh appointed members of the board that oversees British Transport Police.

He said this in 2019 Boris Johnson He “deceived the police” and committed a “serious breach of trust” amid allegations he politicized serving officers during a speech in West Yorkshire.

Sir Keir appointed the MP as shadow Northern Ireland secretary in 2020 and appointed him as shadow transport secretary in 2021.

In this brief, he was an outspoken critic of mass layoffs. 800 workers at P&O Ferries in 2022. After becoming transport minister, he accused P&O of being a “rogue operator” and called for a boycott of its services in October.

Comments from the firm’s Dubai-based owner will review planned £1bn UK port investment – something that happens It was reconfirmed after ministers held urgent talks with the company.

But he was publicly rebuked by Sir Keir, who said his views were “not the view of the government”.

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(c) Sky News 2024: Transport Secretary Louise Haigh resigns after Sky News reveals she has pleaded guilty to mobile phone hacking