Louise Haigh resigns as Transport Secretary after mobile phone fraud conviction revelation

Haigh pleaded guilty in 2014 to fraud by misrepresentation after she wrongly reported her work mobile phone had been stolen. The incident saw the Labour MP mugged while on a night out in 2013 and handing over a list of missing items she believed to have been stolen to police.

She had been given a new work mobile but police were alerted to the fact that she had indeed found the old phone and turned it on without notifying them that she was in possession of it. In a statement, Haigh said that she had discovered the phone “some time later” and that she had made a “genuine mistake” in not telling police.

The now-former Transport Secretary, who will remain as MP for Sheffield Heeley, admitted to the charge, and was handed down a discharge. 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 and I appeared before Southwark magistrates. Under the advice of my solicitor I pleaded guilty – despite the fact this was a genuine mistake from which I did not make any gain. The magistrates accepted all of these arguments and gave me the lowest possible outcome (a discharge) available.”

It is believed that Haigh made Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer aware of the conviction when she selected her as part of his cabinet. The conviction is no longer on her record, having now been spent.

In her resignation letter to Sir Keir, Haigh said: “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. I will always be grateful for the support you have shown me, and I take great pride in what we achieved since the election.”

She added: “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 and to ensure that the rest of our programme is delivered in full.”

Accepting her resignation, the Prime Minister thanked her for “all you have done to deliver this Government’s ambitious transport agenda”. He added: “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 cost for motorists. I know you still have a huge contribution to make in the future.”