LONDON, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- British Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has resigned after pleading guilty to a criminal offense related to incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013, local media reported on Friday.

In a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer revealed on Friday, Haigh described the incident as a "mistake" but said that "whatever the facts of the matter, this issue will inevitably be a distraction from delivering on the work of this government."

The latest move came after Sky News revealed details of the offense on Thursday night, with Haigh saying she had been "mugged on a night out" and told police her work phone had been among the items stolen, but discovered "some time later" this was not the case.

She said in her resignation to Starmer: "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."

Haigh 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, a type of conviction where a court finds the person guilty but does not give them a sentence because the offense is considered very minor.

Haigh's resignation is the first from Starmer's cabinet.

Haigh has been the MP for Sheffield Heeley since 2015. She became transport secretary when Labour won the election in July. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)