The transport secretary, Louise Haigh, has resigned after it emerged she was convicted for an offence involving a mobile phone in 2013.
She will be replaced by Heidi Alexander, MP for Swindon South, who was serving as a justice minister until her promotion today, and worked as Sadiq Khan's deputy transport mayor between 2018 and 2021.
Congratulating Alexander on her appointment, Richard Smith, managing director of the Road Haulage Association (RHA), said: “We look forward to working closely with her on the important issues facing our critical industry.
“HGVs, vans and coaches play a pivotal role in the supply-chain and the daily life of businesses across this nation - moving goods and people every day. We’re also crucial to the Government’s stated objective of boosting economic growth.
“We look forward to working collaboratively with the transport secretary and her ministerial team on solutions to improve roads, infrastructure and driver facilities on the decarbonisation journey in the months and years ahead.”
New transport secretary Heidi Alexander
Haigh was appointed as the new transport secretary in July, having held the shadow transport brief since 2021.
Prior to taking the shadow transport brief, she was shadow Northern Ireland secretary. The former special constable was also a shadow policing minister under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer, the MP for Sheffield Heeley 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.”
The conviction related to when Haigh, aged 24, was mugged in London. She reported the incident to the police, giving them a list of her possessions that she believed had been stolen, including her work phone.
She explained: “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.”
Haigh says she had been advised by a lawyer “not to comment” during a police interview. The police then referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
She pleaded guilty to making a false report to police at a magistrates' court six months before becoming an MP in the 2015 election, and received a discharge - the “lowest possible outcome”.
Haigh had declared her discharge on appointment to the shadow cabinet when the Labour Party was in opposition.
Haigh said in her resignation letter to Starmer: “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.”
Replying to Haigh, Starmer thanked her for all she had done to deliver the Government’s 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,” he added.
“I know you still have a huge contribution to make in the future.”
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Gareth has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist having started his career in local newspapers in the 1990s. Prior to joining Fleet News in 2008, he worked in the public sector as a media advisor and is currently news editor at Fleet News.
Paul Kirby - 29/11/2024 13:20
I think this is a real shame that someone should suffer given the reality that this is long in the past and that as a nation we see this as more important to highlight a relatively small indiscretion in order to gain headlines and further the sport of bringing pain to people in the public profile! Whatever you think of the policies and politics this NOT news and wholly unfair!