Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain experienced his first cabinet resignation on Friday when Transport Secretary Louise Haigh stepped down shortly after it was revealed that she had been convicted of a fraud offense involving a phone a decade ago.
This resignation poses a challenge for Mr. Starmer, who has faced multiple setbacks since Labour's election victory in July. The promptness of Ms. Haigh's resignation indicates that Downing Street aims to mitigate the political repercussions.
As Transport Secretary, Ms. Haigh was responsible for one of Labour's key initiatives to return Britain's troubled private rail network to public ownership, a legislative effort that recently concluded its passage through Parliament.
Her resignation followed reports from Sky News and The Times of London that disclosed her guilty plea to a fraud offense in 2013. At that time, she was 24 and employed by Aviva, an insurance company, when she was mugged in London.
In her resignation letter, Ms. Haigh described the incident as “terrifying” and stated that she reported the theft to the police, providing them with a list of stolen items, including her work phone.
She later discovered that the phone was still in her home and, after switching it on, attracted police attention, which led to her being questioned.
Ms. Haigh explained that, on her lawyer's advice, she pleaded guilty when the case was presented in a magistrates’ court in 2014, resulting in a discharge, the lowest possible outcome.
Six months later, she was elected to Parliament for the first time. Reports indicate that she informed Mr. Starmer, a former chief prosecutor, about the case before joining his top political team in opposition in 2020, although the matter was not widely known among voters.
In her resignation letter, Ms. Haigh, who is viewed as part of the left wing of the Labour Party, expressed that the news regarding her past conviction would “inevitably be a distraction from delivering on the work of this government.”
She stated, “I remain totally committed to our political project, but I now believe it will be best served by my supporting you from outside Government.” Downing Street quickly appointed centrist lawmaker Heidi Alexander, a former justice ministry minister, as her replacement.
During his leadership, Mr. Starmer has developed a reputation for decisiveness, having previously removed his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, over issues related to antisemitism within the party. While Mr. Starmer has shifted Labour towards the political center, Ms. Haigh, who supported Mr. Corbyn's leadership bid in 2015, was seen as a prominent figure of the left.
Allies noted that the reason for her resignation—a minor conviction from over a decade ago—sets a low standard for future ministerial resignations. They also commended Ms. Haigh, the youngest cabinet member, for her energetic and effective tenure as Transport Secretary.
However, some in Downing Street may not view her departure unfavorably. Ms. Haigh was the first cabinet minister to be publicly reprimanded by Mr. Starmer after labeling P&O Ferries as a “rogue operator,” which led to a dispute with the company's parent organization, DP World.
In response to Ms. Haigh's resignation, Mr. Starmer wrote to her, acknowledging her potential future contributions. The brevity of his three-sentence letter suggested a reluctance to extend significant political support in an effort to retain her.