The UK Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has resigned after The Times newspaper reported a historic criminal conviction.

Louise Haigh, the outspoken Transport Secretary, has resigned from her high-level post in the government. She did so in the early hours of Friday morning (29 November). News broke of her conviction for a historic criminal offence. It is understood that the politician was convicted of a fraud offence over a falsified report of a mobile phone theft.

The resignation of Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has surprised the UK transport industry and political commentators alike. The government minister was heavily involved in top-line reform of the railway industry in the UK, including implementing the government’s flagship policy to nationalise most aspects of the railway. She was also deeply involved in a recent investment summit, at which a huge expansion of London Gateway Freeport was announced.

Calling out DP World and P&O over jobs scandal

Haigh had already been at the centre of controversy for the UK Government. She was applauded by unions for calling out the conduct of P&O Ferries. She referred angrily to employment practices which had seen British seafarers dismissed, only to be replaced by cheaper labour. Haigh had publicly called for a boycott of the company – a move which encouraged P&O owners, DP World, to issue a veiled threat to withdraw investment in the showpiece intermodal port terminal at London Gateway. Embarrassingly, this happened on the eve of a stage-managed investment summit. DP World has since withdrawn the threat, and expansion is underway at London Gateway – which may have encouraged shipping line Maersk to announce a switch of some services to the port.

The criminal charge revolves around a street robbery in 2013. Haigh was assaulted (mugged) in London, and in her statement afterwards, she reported a mobile phone to be stolen. She did however later find the phone was actually among her belongings at home, but did not amend her statement to police, nor did she respond to questioning at a later date. Despite being the victim of an assault, it was this subsequent action which resulted in the fraud conviction. It should be noted that the criminal conviction is now ‘spent’ – it does not appear on her criminal record.

Spent conviction haunts the former Transport Secretary

In a most embarrassing outcome for the fledgling UK government, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been forced to accept the first resignation from his cabinet. Shortly after 6 a.m. on Friday (29 November), the outspoken Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, tendered her resignation. The reason given was the front-page revelation that she had been charged with fraud in 2014, concerning a mobile phone theft the previous year. The incident happened before she became an elected politician and was still an employee of an insurance company.

The incident has been made all the more embarrassing for the left-wing Labour Party, elected in July of this year, because of previous indiscretions. Louise Haigh had been particularly critical of the previous right-wing Conservative government. She had made furious comments over the conduct of the Conservative Party during the pandemic lockdown – naming the then Prime Minister Boris Johnston as the ringleader in a “one rule for them” scandal, culminating in boozy parties at Ten Downing Street – the official residence of the Prime Minister in London.

Succession could be awkward

The office of Transport Secretary cuts across all aspects of national infrastructure. It is deeply embedded in many other government departments. The departure of Haigh could have significant repercussions across the UK economy. Also, there are junior ministerial positions which look to the Transport Secretary for guidance. Speculation is already rife about who may replace Haigh.

There could be a shuffle in the ministerial pack, which could see the Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan assume the post he was tipped for in the ‘shadow’ cabinet. Morgan is, however, already a government minister with responsibility for “Early Education”. It may be possible that the controversial Lord Peter Hendy could step up from his current position at Rail Minister, despite carrying his own baggage over accusations of bullying behaviour. as reported by our sister service RailTech.com, he was forced to issue a public apology over that incident. The repercussions for Haigh seem somewhat more severe.