Penalty concealed

British Transport Minister resigns

(Bild: Associated Press)

British Transport Minister Louise Haigh has resigned after details of a previous fraud conviction emerged. She had pleaded guilty in court in 2013 before becoming an MP and received a conditional sentence at the time.

She had been robbed in London in 2013 and had given the police a list of things she thought had been stolen, the Labour politician explained in her resignation letter. Among them was her work cell phone. She later discovered that it had been at home.

On Thursday evening, the Times newspaper and Sky News reported that Haigh had subsequently pleaded guilty to a criminal offense. The 37-year-old has now announced her resignation.

According to the British news agency PA, the opposition Tories immediately accused UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer of having known about the case for a long time and of having to explain himself to the public.

Youngest female member of the cabinet
In her resignation statement, Haigh wrote that she should have informed her employer directly at the time. It had been an honest mistake. She acknowledged that the case - "whatever the facts" - was a distraction from the work of the government. "I am sorry to leave under these circumstances, but I am proud of what we have achieved."

Prime Minister Starmer has to replace a female minister just a few months after taking office. Haigh was the youngest woman ever to be appointed to a British government.