Did Sir Keir Starmer knowingly let someone with a criminal conviction into government while preaching to the nation about ethics?
The resignation of his Transport Secretary Louise Haigh isn’t the end of the matter – and the PM is now under pressure to give the full facts.
Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burghart has demanded the PM come clean about when he first learned of Haigh’s historic conviction for fraud.
And he accused Sir Keir of ignoring Labour’s own promise of running a squeeky clean government full of ethics and transparency.
Ben Leo reacted to Louise Haigh’s resignation on GB News
GB NEWS
Louise Haigh admitted she reported her work phone stolen in 2013 – only later to find it at home.
Ms Haigh described this as a genuine mistake and said she pleaded guilty to fraud in 2014 on the advice of her solicitor.
And she claims Starmer was made aware of her conviction when she was given a job on the opposition front bench.
Here’s what the PM needs to answer.
Is Ms Haigh correct when she says the PM knew all along?
And if so, if he didn’t see Louise Haigh’s conviction as a disqualifying factor before her appointment to the Cabinet in July, why has it become one today?
Louise HaighPA
This is important because in 2022 Keir Starmer himself told the Commons that Boris Johnson couldn’t be a lawmaker and a law breaker – and had to go.
And by the way, I know she’s gone, but what a raging hypocrite Louise Haigh was too.
For the record I don’t think Louise Haigh should have been forced to resign at all.
But she falls victim to the very silly low bar she and her party set during the hounding of Boris Johnson during Partygate for eating crusty M&S sandwiches.
You set the silly standard, now you’re out of a job.
But the focus now is on the Prime Minister.
His government has been fighting so much sleaze, cronyism and scandal in its first six months that they make the Tories look like amateurs.
Arsenal tickets, Taylor Swift tickets, £2,500 specs, a wardrobe for his wife, multimillion pound penthouses, stuffing the Civil Service with Labour donors and aides, the Chancellor accused of lying on her CV, a row with farmers, dunking on pensioners, it goes on and on.
Did the Prime Minister cover-up the truth about Louise Haigh? And if so, what else is he covering up behind the curtains of Number 10?