A minister has denied Labour as “tawdry and chaotic” because the Conservatives after the Louise Haigh cellphone scandal.
The conviction is believed to narrate to fraud. Ms Haigh mentioned it was a “genuine mistake” from which she didn’t profit.
Requested whether or not the scandal, together with free Taylor Swift tickets, garments and glasses for ministers, made Labour look “just as tawdry and chaotic as your predecessors did”, Mr McFadden mentioned: “I don’t accept that for a minute.
“When you take this Louise Haigh state of affairs, this story got here to gentle and it was handled in a short time. Louise has determined to resign by the tip of the day.
“This isn’t something that dragged on for weeks. It isn’t something where there happened to be endless stories about it before action was taken and within 24 hours, we have a new transport secretary.
“So I believe the parallel you are making an attempt to attract does not work and in reality, the velocity at which this occurred reveals that there isn’t any parallel.”
Picture:
Louise Haigh has stepped down as transport secretary. Pic: PA
Mr McFadden mentioned a part of the difficulty for the general public’s notion is how, and the way rapidly, scandals are handled.
The minister added that he didn’t know any additional particulars than have been reported, and doesn’t know “who knew what and when”.
“It’s not against the law for someone who’s had some kind of a conviction in the past, a conviction that is spent, as I understand it, to serve in parliament,” Mr McFadden mentioned.
Ms Haigh resigned as transport secretary on Friday morning after her responsible plea was revealed the night earlier than. She was changed by Heidi Alexander on Friday afternoon.
Picture:
Heidi Alexander has changed Louise Haigh
On Thursday night time, Ms Haigh mentioned the incident arose after she was “mugged while on a night out” in 2013.
She mentioned she reported the incident to the police and gave officers a listing of things she believed had been taken – together with a piece cell phone.
Picture:
Louise Haigh with Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Mayor of Higher Manchester Andy Burnham in Stalybridge in November: Pic: PA
Within the interim she was issued with one other work cellphone. When she turned on the unique work machine, it “triggered police attention and I was asked to come in for questioning”, she mentioned.
“My solicitor advised me not to comment during that interview and I regret following that advice,” 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 those arguments and gave me the bottom doable consequence (a discharge) out there.”
It’s understood Ms Haigh believes she disclosed the incident in full when she was appointed to the shadow cupboard in 2020.
Nevertheless, Downing Road mentioned on Friday that Ms Haigh resigned after “new information” emerged, however declined to say formally if the prime minister knew concerning the conviction when he appointed his cupboard in July.
