Louise Haigh has resigned as Transport Secretary after the emergence that she had provided incorrect information to the police regarding her work phone in 2013.
She told police that she had lost her work mobile phone in a mugging incident, but later found that this was not the case and it had not been taken.
In her letter to the Prime Minister, she said:
“As you know, in 2013 I was mugged in London. As a 24-year-old woman, the experience was terrifying. In the immediate aftermath, I reported the incident to the police. I gave the police a list of my possessions that I believed had been stolen, including my work phone. Some time later, I discovered that the handset in question was still in my house. I should have immediately informed my employer and not doing so straight away was a mistake.
“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 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.”
In response, the Prime Minister said: “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 cost for motorists.
“I know you still have a huge contribution to make in the future.”
Louise Haigh was appointed Secretary of State for Transport on 5 July 2024, the youngest female Cabinet Minister to ever be appointed.
She was elected as the MP for Sheffield Heeley in May 2015.
Since being elected as an MP, Louise has held a number of shadow ministerial roles, including Shadow Secretary of State for Transport from 2021 to 2024.
Louise served as a Special Constable in the Met Police between 2009 and 2011 and worked for Aviva as a public policy manager from 2012 to 2015.
A new Transport Secretary is likely to be announced imminently.
