Louise Haigh left her post as transport minister due to an old legal issue thats come back to light. The case from about a decade ago involved a mix-up with a work phone (which she reported stolen but later found at home)
In a letter dated nov-28‚ Haigh explained to Keir Starmer: “This matter will be a set-back for our work; its better if I step aside.“ She got a conditional discharge back in 2014 — a fairly light punishment that shows the case wasnt too serious
The conservative party jumped on this news and made some points:
- Why did Starmer pick her knowing about this
- How come this wasnt dealt with earlier
- What does this say about his decision-making skills
This shake-up hits Starmerʼs government at a rough time — just 4 months after winning big in the elections. The labour party faces push-back from different groups: elderly folks dont like the fuel payment changes; business owners are mad about tax stuff; farmers arent happy with new inheritance rules
The ex-minister (who joined parliament around 9 years ago) wrote that she made an honest error during a scary mugging situation: “I found the phone at home later — there was no bad intent or personal gain from my mistake“