Cabinet Office Minister Louise Haigh has been stripped of responsibility for overseeing the Government's work on tackling public sector fraud, just one day after her appointment to the role. The portfolio has been reassigned following renewed political scrutiny over her previous conviction for fraud by false representation.
Despite the change, Haigh remains Minister for the Cabinet Office and First Secretary of State, retaining responsibility for a wide range of Cabinet Office functions and remaining one of the Government's most senior ministers.
The issue relates to an incident dating back to 2013. Haigh was the victim of a mugging and later reported a list of missing items to police that mistakenly included a work mobile phone. The phone was subsequently found at her home. She later pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and received a conditional discharge in 2014. The conviction is now spent under UK law.
When the matter became public in 2024, Haigh resigned as Transport Secretary. She has consistently maintained that including the phone on the list of stolen items was a genuine mistake, that she did not seek any financial gain, and that she pleaded guilty on legal advice.