Transport secretary Louise Haigh admits ‘misleading police’ over stolen phone

The Transport Secretary has admitted pleading guilty to an offence related to a false report she made to police ten years ago.

Louise Haigh reported to police officers that her mobile phone had been stolen while she was a parliamentary candidate, months before the 2015 general election.

Ms Haigh reported that “she was mugged on a night out” the year before. But she then discovered, “some time later”, that “the mobile in question had not been taken,” Sky News reports.

“The police referred the matter to the CPS and I appeared before Southwark magistrates,” she added.

“Under the advice of my solicitor I pleaded guilty – despite the fact this was a genuine mistake from which I did not make any gain. The magistrates accepted all of these arguments and gave me the lowest possible outcome (a discharge) available.”

The guilty plea was made in 2014 and it is understood Ms Haigh’s conviction is now ‘spent’.

In a statement reported by Sky News, Ms Haigh continued: “The original work device being switched on triggered police attention and I was asked to come in for questioning.

“I was a young woman and the experience was terrifying.”

According to Sky News the incident was disclosed in full when Ms Haigh was appointed to the then Shadow Cabinet in 2017.

Before she entered politics Ms Haigh was a special constable for the Metropolitan Police and served in the capital between 2009 and 2011 in the South London Borough of Lambeth.

Speaking in her role as Transport Secretary Ms Haigh said today (Thursday) how more areas of the UK could have a “joined up” public transport model like the one in the French city of Dijon.

Speaking in Leeds, Ms Haigh launched the Government’s new Integrated National Transport Strategy, which will be published next year after a series of regional roadshows and consultation with metro mayors.

In a speech at Leeds Civic Hall, Ms Haigh said she had taken inspiration from a visit to Dijon earlier this year, where all modes of public transport are joined up in one app.

She said: “(Dijon’s) fully integrated transport network is reliable, efficient and effective. And they built it, essentially, from scratch.

“It has succeeded in driving down congestion and pollution because when you build a genuinely integrated transport network people choose to use it.

“Technology is helping Dijon iron out the wrinkles in the system that can put people off using public transport. They are moving to a system where you can use your phone to pay, even if it has run out of battery.

“Tickets and car parking are priced dynamically depending on levels of air pollution. A single app brings together every mode of transport – from bus to tram, car hire to bike hire, planning your journey to paying for parking.”