British Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has resigned after pleading guilty to an offense regarding deceiving police over a piece cell phone years ago, in an extra blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Her resignation, the primary from Starmer's top ministerial team since her landslide election victory in July, got here after media reports that she had been convicted in 2014 for what she described as a “mistake” and given a conditional discharge.
Haigh said in a letter to Starmer dated Thursday, November 28, that she told police she had lost a cell phone in a “horrific” night-time robbery in 2013, only to later discover the phone was at all times there was still at home together with her.
In her resignation letter, shared by Starmer's office early Friday, Haigh said she was stepping down because the difficulty “will inevitably distract from the work of this government and the policies to which we are committed.”
“I remain fully committed to our political project, but I now believe it will be best if I support you from outside government,” she said.
Starmer thanked Haigh for her work and for all the things she has done “to deliver this government’s ambitious transport agenda”.
The opposition Conservative Party said Haigh “did the right thing” but questioned why Starmer appointed her when he appeared to know of her fraud conviction.
“The responsibility now lies with Keir Starmer to explain this obvious error of judgment to the British public,” a Conservative Party spokesman said in a press release.
Haigh's resignation is an extra blow to the Labor leader, whose approval rankings have been falling since July.
Almost immediately after coming to power, the Labor government got here under fire for limiting fuel payments to the elderly and accepting donations for clothing and hospitality.
Since then, his government has angered farmers over changes to inheritance tax rules, and lots of businesses have complained about Labour's first budget, during which the Chancellor of the Exchequer raised taxes mainly on corporations and the rich.
Haigh, who was first elected in 2015 and held senior posts under each Starmer and left-wing former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn, said the phone incident was a “real mistake” from which she “gained no profit.” ” have.
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