Louise High resigns as transport secretary over phone scandal

Louise Hague has resigned as transport secretary after pleading guilty to a criminal offense of giving false information to the police in 2013.

In a letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Hague said he was “fully committed to our political plan” but that he would be “best served by an outside government supporting you.”

His resignation came a day after he admitted he told police his phone had been lost during a robbery on a night out but later discovered it had not been taken.

He said it was a “genuine mistake” but was advised by a lawyer not to “comment” during a police interview. The police then handed the case over to the Crown Prosecution Service.

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

Whitehall sources told the BBC that the transport secretary had announced his resignation on appointment to the shadow cabinet. When the Labor Party was in opposition.

Starmer thanked High for delivering the government’s transport agenda.

In his letter, Hague said he appreciated “whatever the facts of the matter” that the issue “will inevitably be a distraction”.

Hague said her appointment as the “youngest ever” female member of the Cabinet was “one of the proudest achievements of my life”.

“I’m sorry to leave under these circumstances, but I’m proud of what we’ve done,” she said, adding that she would continue to work for her constituents in Sheffield.

A discharge is a type of punishment where the court finds the person guilty but does not punish him because the crime is considered too minor.

Hague has been MP for Sheffield Healy since 2015 and held a number of shadow ministerial and shadow cabinet roles before becoming transport secretary when Labor won the election in July.

The Times and Sky News reported on Thursday that Hague pleaded guilty in 2014.

In a statement in response, Hague said: “I was mugged on a night out in 2013. I was a young woman and the experience was terrifying.

“I reported this to the police and gave them a list of what I believed had been taken – including a work mobile phone issued by my employer.

“After some time I discovered that the mobile in question had not been taken. Meanwhile I was issued another work phone.

“Turning on the actual working device attracted the attention of the police and I was asked to come in for questioning.

“My lawyer advised me not to comment during the interview and I regret following that advice.

“The police referred the matter to the CPS and I appeared in the magistrate’s court.”

He added that under the advice of a lawyer, he pleaded guilty “despite the fact that it was a genuine mistake that did me no good”.