Transport Minister Louise Haigh has resigned after admitting to misleading police over a stolen mobile phone in 2013. She stated her decision was to avoid distracting from the government's work, marking the first cabinet resignation under Prime Minister Keir Starmer's leadership.
Britain's transport minister, Louise Haigh, has resigned after pleading guilty to an offence in connection with misleading police over a work mobile phone she claimed was stolen in 2013, in another setback for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Haigh said in a letter to Starmer dated Thursday, Nov. 28, that she had informed police she had lost the device during a "terrifying" mugging on a night out in 2013, only to later find the phone was still at her home. In her resignation letter, which was shared by Starmer's office early on Friday, Haigh stated she was stepping down as the issue "will inevitably be a distraction from delivering on the work of this government and the policies to which we are committed".
"I remain totally committed to our political project, but I now believe it will be best served by my supporting you from outside government," she said.
Starmer thanked Haigh for her service and for all she had done "to deliver this government's ambitious transport agenda".
Haigh is the first cabinet minister to resign from Starmer's government, which has seen its approval ratings fall since taking office in July. Ministers have faced criticism over the use of donations for clothing and gifts, as well as for increasing taxes on businesses and the wealthy in the government's first budget.
Haigh said the incident with the phone was a "genuine mistake" from which she "did not make any gain".
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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is attempting to back out of a critical minerals deal, warning that such a move would bring serious repercussions.
Bangladesh’s main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has warned of public unrest if elections are not held by December, following remarks from interim leader Muhammad Yunus suggesting a possible delay until 2026.
Over 300,000 Canadians were left without power on Sunday as a severe ice storm battered parts of Ontario, according to electricity provider Hydro One. The storm brought freezing rain and ice pellets over the weekend, with power outages continuing into Monday morning in some regions.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen is awaiting a critical court ruling on Monday that could determine her political future. Le Pen, head of the National Rally (RN), faces accusations of embezzling over 3 million euros ($3.3 million) of European Parliament funds to pay France-based staff.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that his upcoming reciprocal tariffs will apply to all nations, rather than just targeting the 10 to 15 countries with the largest trade imbalances. Trump plans to unveil the tariff package on Wednesday, calling it “Liberation Day.”
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is attempting to back out of a critical minerals deal, warning that such a move would bring serious repercussions.
Bangladesh’s main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has warned of public unrest if elections are not held by December, following remarks from interim leader Muhammad Yunus suggesting a possible delay until 2026.
Over 300,000 Canadians were left without power on Sunday as a severe ice storm battered parts of Ontario, according to electricity provider Hydro One. The storm brought freezing rain and ice pellets over the weekend, with power outages continuing into Monday morning in some regions.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen is awaiting a critical court ruling on Monday that could determine her political future. Le Pen, head of the National Rally (RN), faces accusations of embezzling over 3 million euros ($3.3 million) of European Parliament funds to pay France-based staff.
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