1 week ago
3
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has resigned.
It comes aft Sky News revealed she pleaded guilty to an offence successful transportation with misleading constabulary implicit a enactment mobile telephone she said was stolen successful 2013.
In her resignation missive this morning, she described the incidental arsenic a "mistake" - but said that "whatever the facts of the matter, this contented volition inevitably beryllium a distraction from delivering connected the enactment of this government".
She wrote to the premier minister: "As you know, successful 2013 I was mugged successful London. As a 24-year-old woman, the acquisition was terrifying. In the contiguous aftermath, I reported the incidental to the police.
"I gave the constabulary a database of my possessions that I believed had been stolen, including my enactment phone. Some clip later, I discovered that the handset successful question was inactive successful my house.
"I should person instantly informed my leader and not doing truthful consecutive distant was a mistake."
Ms Haigh past said that portion she is "totally committed to our governmental project," she believes "it volition beryllium champion served by my supporting you from extracurricular government".
The MP for Sheffield Heeley past added: "I americium atrocious to permission nether these circumstances, but I instrumentality pridefulness successful what we person done.
"I volition proceed to combat each time for the radical of Sheffield Heeley who I was archetypal and foremost elected to correspond and to guarantee that the remainder of our programme is delivered successful full."
In response, Sir Keir Starmer thanked Ms Haigh for "all you person done to present this government's ambitious transport agenda" and said: "I cognize you inactive person a immense publication to marque successful the future."
Before entering politics, the MP was a peculiar constable successful the Metropolitan Police - serving betwixt 2009 and 2011 successful the South London Borough of Lambeth, adjacent to wherever she was convicted respective years later.
She was appointed shadiness policing curate by Jeremy Corbyn successful 2017 and often drew connected her acquisition successful the Met erstwhile challenging the Tory authorities connected the rising demands connected officers.
As transport secretary, Ms Haigh appointed members of the committee that oversees the British Transport Police.
In 2019 she said that Boris Johnson had "deceived the police" and committed a "serious breach of trust" implicit claims helium politicised serving officers during a code successful West Yorkshire.
Sir Keir promoted the MP to shadiness Northern Ireland caput successful 2020 earlier moving her to shadiness transport caput successful 2021.
In this brief, she was an outspoken professional of the wide sacking of 800 workers by P&O Ferries successful 2022. After becoming transport secretary, she accused P&O of being a "rogue operator" and called for a boycott of its services successful October.
The comments caused the firm's Dubai-based proprietor to reappraisal a planned £1bn UK larboard investment - thing that was re-confirmed aft ministers held urgent talks with the company.
But she was publically rebuked by Sir Keir who said her opinions were "not the presumption of the government".
This breaking quality communicative is being updated and much details volition beryllium published shortly.
Please refresh the leafage for the fullest version.
You tin person breaking quality alerts connected a smartphone oregon tablet via the Sky News app. You tin besides follow america connected WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to support up with the latest news.
.jpg)
English (US) ·