Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has resigned after her 2014 fraud conviction came to light. In 2013, Haigh reported her work phone as stolen but later found it at home. She called it a mistake and said she pled guilty to fraud in 2014 on her solicitor’s advice.
Haigh claims that Prime Minister Keir Starmer knew about her conviction when she joined his Shadow Cabinet in 2020. But Number 10 says they only recently learned all the details, which led to her resignation. This has raised serious questions about whether Starmer ignored the issue and why it only became a problem now.
Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burkhard has criticized Starmer, saying, “If the Prime Minister knew about this, why did he give her an important job? Labour promised to run an honest and transparent government, but this raises doubts about their commitment to those values.”
Starmer is now facing accusations of hypocrisy. In 2022, he criticized Boris Johnson, saying, “You cannot be a lawmaker and a lawbreaker.” Many are now questioning whether Starmer has lived up to the same standards he demanded from others.
Critics are also pointing out how Haigh’s conviction happened six months before she became an MP. Some are asking why she was allowed to stand as a Labour candidate at all. Others argue that Labour’s handling of this case shows a lack of proper judgment and accountability.
This is the first major scandal for Starmer’s government, which has only been in power for five months. Some have accused Starmer’s team of trying to cover up Haigh’s past, while others argue that Haigh has already paid the price for her mistake and should not have been forced to resign.
This issue has now put the spotlight on Starmer’s leadership. People want clear answers: Did he know about Haigh’s conviction when she joined his team? If so, why was it not a problem then, and why has it become one now?
