YOU could be forgiven for thinking Louise Haigh’s brief spell in public life was criminal – noted only for handing striking train drivers billions in pay rises in the very week pensioners were robbed of their winter fuel payments.
Yet we now learn she was an actual convicted criminal brought into the heart of government.
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It is a rite of passage for any Prime Minister to lose their first Cabinet minister but you can tell by the brevity of his reply to Haigh’s resignation letter quite how angry Sir Keir Starmer is today.
For a man who stood on the steps of Downing Street promising an end to sleaze, it is an extraordinary position that the Prime Minister finds himself in.
Like so many of the predecessors he attacked, he’s mired in scandal.
On the very thing that Sir Keir asked to be judged on – ethics – his administration has taken a body blow after the fact convicted fraudster was exposed around his cabinet table.
While the PM may rightly be fuming, he cannot escape a number of questions about the appointment of his Transport Secretary: who knew what and when?
Haigh claims Starmer was made aware of her fraud when she was hired to his opposition front bench — but his chief of staff at the time, a man called Sam White, may know a thing or two about this sorry saga.
He was previously a boss at Aviva, where it turns out Haigh was sacked after her conviction.
And once again Sue Gray returns to the headlines: what did the famed Whitehall witch hunter know when she allowed Haigh to enter the cabinet?
She was in charge of cabinet appointments, and will know the truth.
While No10 may hope this blows over quickly, they also need to answer this key question; if Haigh had to resign now over this issue, why was she given the job in the first place?
On what basis was it fine to enter the cabinet yet now has to depart?
And that’s before we get on to whether any other ministers around the table are hiding such secrets…
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Louise Haigh’s resignation letter in full
Dear Prime Minister,
As you know, in 2013 I was mugged in London. As a 24-year-old woman, the experience was terrifying.
In the immediate aftermath, I reported the incident to the police.
I gave the police a list of my possessions that I believed had been stolen, including my work phone.
Some time later, I discovered that the handset in question was still in my house.
I should have immediately informed my employer and not doing so straight away was a mistake.
I appreciate that whatever the facts of the matter, this issue will inevitably be a distraction from delivering on the work of this government and the policies to which we are both committed.
I will always be grateful for the support you have shown me, and I take great pride in what we achieved since the election.
Just today, our Bill bringing the railways back into public ownership received Royal Assent and became an Act of Parliament.
This is a once in a generation reform to our railways which will change our country for the better.
A commitment made by leaders of our Party for decades, finally delivered.
I am proud that we have also taken the first steps to putting buses back in the hands of passengers and local people, work which will be completed by the Buses Bill when it is laid next month.
My appointment to your Cabinet as the youngest ever woman remains one of the proudest achievements of my life, but not as proud as the steps we took to improve the lives of the British people.
I remain totally committed to our political project, but I now believe it will be best served by my supporting you from outside Government.
I am sorry to leave under these circumstances, but I take pride in what we have done.
I will continue to fight every day for the people of Sheffield Heeley who I was first and foremost elected to represent and to ensure that the rest of our programme is delivered in full.
Yours faithfully,
Louise