Transport Secretary Louise Haigh admits pleading guilty to misleading police over phone report mistake

The admission came after reports by Sky News and The Times revealed the details of the case.

In a statement, Ms Haigh explained the situation: “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.”

She later discovered that the phone had not been stolen. "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.”

Ms. Haigh said she followed her solicitor's advice not to comment during questioning, a decision she now regrets. The matter was referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and she pleaded guilty before Southwark Magistrates’ Court.

She said: “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 her arguments, giving her the "lowest possible outcome (a discharge) available."

Ms. Haigh, who has been the MP for Sheffield Heeley since 2015, disclosed the incident in full when she joined the shadow cabinet. She became Transport Secretary following Labour's victory in July.

Details of the specific offence were not immediately clear, but the incident has drawn criticism from political opponents. Conservative Party chair Nigel Huddleston said: “These are extremely concerning revelations about the person responsible for managing £30 billion of taxpayers’ money. Keir Starmer has serious questions to answer regarding what he knew and when about the person he appointed as Transport Secretary admitting to having misled the police.”

Ms Haigh maintains that the mistake was genuine and did not result in personal gain.