Heidi Alexander has been appointed the new transport secretary after Louise Haigh stepped down.
The Swindon South MP had been serving as a justice minister until her promotion today, and worked as Sadiq Khan’s deputy transport mayor between 2018-2021.
Ms Haigh resigned after Sky News revealed she pleaded guilty to an offence related to incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013.
In a letter to the prime minister, she described the incident as a “mistake” but said that “whatever the facts of the matter, this issue will inevitably be a distraction from delivering on the work of this government”.
Ms Haigh claims she was “mugged on a night out” and believed her phone had been stolen, but discovered “some time later” this was not the case.
She called the incident a “genuine mistake from which I did not make any gain”.
The Tories have said it raises questions about what exactly Sir Keir knew when he appointed her to his shadow cabinet in opposition.
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Responding to her resignation letter, the prime minister thanked Ms Haigh for “all you have done to deliver this government’s ambitious transport agenda” and said: “I know you still have a huge contribution to make in the future.”
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