British transportation minister steps down amid fraud scandal
British Transport Minister Louise Haigh has stepped down following the revelation of her 2014 guilty plea in a fraud case. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Louise Haigh has resigned from her position after revelations about a fraud conviction from a decade ago.
The British Transport Minister stepped down after it became known that she pled guilty to fraud by misrepresentation in 2014. Haigh was appointed shadow transport secretary for the Labour Party in 2021 and was later elevated to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s cabinet following the party's general election victory this year.
In her resignation letter to Starmer, she stated that “this issue will inevitably be a distraction from delivering on the work of this government,” according to reports from British media. Starmer expressed his gratitude for her contributions and acknowledged that Haigh still has “a huge contribution to make in the future.”
The details of her past conviction came to light earlier in the day through Sky News and the Times of London. The incident occurred during her tenure at the insurance company Aviva, prior to her entry into public office in 2015.
It was revealed that Aviva conducted an internal inquiry regarding several work phones that Haigh had reported as missing or stolen. The prosecution stemmed from a specific device, which Haigh claims she mistakenly reported as stolen in 2013. The police became involved when the device was subsequently activated.
“The police referred the matter to the CPS and I appeared before Southwark magistrates. Under the advice of my solicitor, I pleaded guilty – despite the fact this was a genuine mistake from which I did not make any gain,” she explained.
She noted that magistrates issued her the lightest penalty of a conditional discharge. The conviction has since become spent, meaning it has been cleared from Haigh’s record. She mentioned that while she had informed Starmer of the incident, she did not disclose it publicly.
Haigh has been the MP for Sheffield since 2015 and previously held the role of shadow policing minister under former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Following a leadership change in 2019, she went on to serve as shadow Northern Ireland secretary and then shadow transport secretary.
Throughout her political journey, Haigh has been vocal in criticizing other politicians facing legal issues. In 2022, she called for the resignation of Boris Johnson, who was then the Tory leader and British prime minister, after police issued 20 fines related to gatherings at his official residence during a Covid-19 lockdown.
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
The British Transport Minister stepped down after it became known that she pled guilty to fraud by misrepresentation in 2014. Haigh was appointed shadow transport secretary for the Labour Party in 2021 and was later elevated to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s cabinet following the party's general election victory this year.
In her resignation letter to Starmer, she stated that “this issue will inevitably be a distraction from delivering on the work of this government,” according to reports from British media. Starmer expressed his gratitude for her contributions and acknowledged that Haigh still has “a huge contribution to make in the future.”
The details of her past conviction came to light earlier in the day through Sky News and the Times of London. The incident occurred during her tenure at the insurance company Aviva, prior to her entry into public office in 2015.
It was revealed that Aviva conducted an internal inquiry regarding several work phones that Haigh had reported as missing or stolen. The prosecution stemmed from a specific device, which Haigh claims she mistakenly reported as stolen in 2013. The police became involved when the device was subsequently activated.
“The police referred the matter to the CPS and I appeared before Southwark magistrates. Under the advice of my solicitor, I pleaded guilty – despite the fact this was a genuine mistake from which I did not make any gain,” she explained.
She noted that magistrates issued her the lightest penalty of a conditional discharge. The conviction has since become spent, meaning it has been cleared from Haigh’s record. She mentioned that while she had informed Starmer of the incident, she did not disclose it publicly.
Haigh has been the MP for Sheffield since 2015 and previously held the role of shadow policing minister under former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Following a leadership change in 2019, she went on to serve as shadow Northern Ireland secretary and then shadow transport secretary.
Throughout her political journey, Haigh has been vocal in criticizing other politicians facing legal issues. In 2022, she called for the resignation of Boris Johnson, who was then the Tory leader and British prime minister, after police issued 20 fines related to gatherings at his official residence during a Covid-19 lockdown.
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
