UK Transport Secretary Louise Haigh resigned from her post late Thursday following revelations about a 2013 incident where she falsely reported her work phone stolen during a mugging, Bloomberg reports.
The resignation was tendered to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
According to reports in The Times, Haigh received a criminal conviction in 2014 for her actions. The incident occurred while she was employed by Aviva Plc, prior to her election to Parliament in 2015. Haigh, then 24, reported a mugging to police, claiming her work phone was among the stolen items. However, she later discovered the phone was at her home. She failed to correct her statement to either her employer or the police.
In her resignation letter to Starmer, Haigh acknowledged the mistake, saying that she recognized her actions were wrong. She described the 2013 attack as “terrifying,” but accepted responsibility for her subsequent failure to rectify the false police report.
Haigh expressed concerns that the controversy would distract from the government’s work, writing that she feared it would “inevitably be a distraction from delivering on the work of this government.” She concluded her letter by expressing gratitude for Starmer’s support and pride in their accomplishments since the election.
