UK Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has resigned following revelations about a 2013 incident in which she falsely reported her work mobile phone as stolen.
The resignation marks the first high-profile departure from Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government.
Haigh, 37, submitted her resignation on Friday, explaining that she did not want to be a “distraction” from the government’s agenda. In a letter to Starmer, she admitted to making a “mistake” when, at age 24, she incorrectly reported her phone as stolen during what she believed to be a mugging in London.
“Labour would be best served by my supporting you from outside government,” Haigh wrote. She described her tenure as Transport Secretary and her role as the “youngest-ever female cabinet minister” as “one of the proudest achievements of my life.”
The incident occurred in 2013 while Haigh worked as a public policy manager for Aviva. She reported the phone stolen after a “terrifying” mugging. However, she later found the device at home. When Haigh switched on the phone, it triggered a police alert, leading to an investigation. Six months before becoming an MP for Sheffield Heeley in 2015, Haigh pleaded guilty to a fraud-related offense and received a conditional discharge from magistrates.
Under legal advice, Haigh refrained from commenting during her police interview, which she now regrets. “My solicitor advised me not to comment during that interview, and I regret following that advice,” she said in a statement to The Times. “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.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised Haigh’s contributions in his response. “I know you still have a huge contribution to make in the future,” he wrote.
Haigh’s resignation has sparked mixed reactions. Many in Labour feel the incident was minor and did not warrant resignation, especially since there were no further issues during her tenure. However, others believe her swift resignation was wise to avoid prolonged scrutiny. A senior Labour figure described it as a “good resignation” that might allow Haigh to return to frontline politics later with a clean slate.
The incident has also prompted criticism from the Conservative Party. A spokesperson stated, “Louise Haigh has done the right thing in resigning. It is clear she has failed to behave to the standards expected of an MP.”
Haigh’s tenure was not without controversy. Last month, she faced backlash for labeling P&O Ferries a “rogue operator” and calling for a boycott. DP World, the parent company, threatened to withdraw from a major investment summit, forcing Starmer to distance the government from her comments.
Born in Sheffield in 1987, Haigh studied politics at Nottingham University and pursued law at Birkbeck, University of London. Before her parliamentary career, she worked as a Unite shop steward and a Metropolitan Police officer in Lambeth.
Her resignation follows scrutiny over Starmer’s decision to appoint her despite a spent conviction; a move critics view as inconsistent with his prior remarks during “Partygate” that “lawbreakers can’t be lawmakers.”
