Louise Haigh quits as transport secretary over phone offence

She said she pleaded guilty to making a false report to police at a magistrates’ court six months before becoming an MP in the 2015 election, and received a discharge – the “lowest possible outcome”.

Whitehall sources told the BBC that the transport secretary declared her discharge on appointment to the shadow cabinet when the Labour Party was in opposition.

Starmer thanked Haigh for her work to deliver the government’s transport agenda.

In her letter, Haigh said that she appreciated “whatever the facts of the matter” that the issue would “inevitably be a distraction”.

Haigh said that her appointment as the “youngest ever” female Cabinet member “remains one of the proudest achievements of my life”.

“I am sorry to leave under these circumstances, but I take pride in what we have done,” she said, adding that she would continue to work for her constituents in Sheffield.

A discharge is a type of conviction where a court finds the person guilty but does not give them a sentence because the offence is considered very minor.