Politics latest: Landmark assisted dying debate to begin; Tories attack PM's 'poor judgement'

Rail union boss pays tribute to Haigh's 'vision and dedication'

The boss of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has paid tribute to Louise Haigh's work as transport secretary following her resignation.

As a reminder, Ms Haigh quit after Sky News revealed that she admitted she pleaded guilty to an offence connected with incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said in a statement: "Louise achieved a great deal during her time as transport secretary including laying the foundations for the public ownership of our railways—a landmark achievement that prioritises the needs of passengers and workers over private profit.

"Her vision and dedication have set the stage for a fairer, more efficient, and publicly accountable transport system.

"I want to thank her on behalf of RMT and wish her every success in the future."

What Haigh's resignation letter tells us - as many questions for the PM remain

After less than five months in government, Sir Keir Starmer has lost his transport secretary with the dramatic resignation of Louise Haigh.

Her departure was announced less than 12 hours after Sky News reported she had admitted pleading guilty to an offence connected with misleading the police while she was a parliamentary candidate back in 2014.

The date of her resignation letter – 28 November – suggests the decision was taken last night. With so many newspaper front pages highlighting her conviction over falsely reporting the theft of a work mobile phone, her position was rapidly becoming untenable - particularly given her own previous calls for the resignation of Tory ministers and prime ministers in the past.

While Haigh said she is "sorry to leave under these circumstances", it's still far from an apology over the incident itself, which she describes as a "mistake".

The prime minister's letter in response is pretty ruthless – barely five lines long, thanking her for her work on the government's transport agenda.

The speed of her resignation highlights how politically embarrassing the story is for Sir Keir, who stood on the steps of Downing Street the day after the election promising to rebuild trust in politics.

Louise Haigh, with her bright red hair, was one of the most high profile members of the government. She was the youngest woman ever appointed to cabinet, and her career had seemed to be on a stellar trajectory.

In her first year as an MP, she was lauded by the Speaker for her commitment to the job, crowned the "busiest" of all the newly elected members of parliament.

In her rise through the party ranks, she even served as shadow policing minister, regularly referring to her experiences as a special constable.

She'd been in the shadow cabinet since 2021 and was unafraid to speak her mind, though her comments about P&O being a "rogue operator" earned her a rebuke from the PM when it jeopardised a billion pound investment from the company.

Questions were already being raised over her future after that incident, particularly after the fall of her close ally Sue Gray, who resigned as the PM's chief of staff in October.

Sir Keir will be hoping her rapid resignation will draw a line under the case, and it looks like her replacement could well be in post by the end of the day.

But many questions remain.

Tory chair: 'Starmer needs to explain poor judgement'

We've just had some reaction from the Conservative Party to Louise Haigh's resignation as transport secretary.

As a reminder - she quit after Sky News revealed that she admitted she pleaded guilty to an offence connected with incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013.

In a post on X, Tory party chair Nigel Huddleston said Ms Haigh did "the right thing by resigning".

But he raised questions about Sir Keir Starmer's judgement.

He said: "In her resignation letter, she said the prime minister was aware of her fraud conviction, which raises questions as to why he appointed Ms Haigh to cabinet with responsibility for a £30bn budget.

"Keir Starmer needs to explain his own poor judgement to the British public," he added.

Leadbeater hopes parliament will 'show itself at its best' in assisted dying debate

MPs will today head to the House of Commons to debate assisted dying - before a free vote takes place on legislation tabled by Kim Leadbeater.

In a statement overnight, the Labour MP said she believes people will "look back" on this moment as "one of the great reforming parliaments of our generation".

She said: "We're modernising our public services, rebuilding our economy and strengthening the fabric of our society.  

"And I hope this parliament will also be remembered for this major social reform that gives people autonomy over the end of their lives and puts right an injustice that has been left on the statute books for far too long.

"People will be looking in on parliament as it debates this important change to the law – a change that, when we most need it, could bring comfort to any one of us or to somebody we love. 

"I hope parliament will show itself at its best and most compassionate and that MPs will show themselves, as they have in the past when major social reforms have come before them, ready to correct injustice and reduce human suffering."

PM's reply to Haigh after resignation from cabinet

Louise Haigh has resigned as transport secretary after Sky News revealed that she admitted she pleaded guilty to an offence connected with incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013.

She sent a letter to the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, confirming her decision (read in full here), and he sent a rather short reply.

You can read it in full below. It is dated yesterday, which was when Sky News revealed Ms Haigh's previous conviction - although it was not announced until this morning.

Haigh's resignation letter from cabinet

Louise Haigh has resigned as transport secretary, becoming the first cabinet minister of the Starmer administration to stand down.

She has quit after Sky News revealed that she admitted she pleaded guilty to an offence connected with incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013.

Below is her resignation letter in full. It is dated yesterday, which was when Sky News revealed her previous conviction - although it was not announced it until this morning.

What is the proposed legislation on assisted dying?

MPs will on Friday have to make one of the biggest decisions of their careers - whether or not to back assisted dying.

The proposed law would make it legal for over-18s who are terminally ill to be given medical assistance to end their own life in England and Wales.

The bill - called the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - sets out detailed requirements in order to be eligible.

The Labour MP proposing it, Kim Leadbeater, says the safeguards are the "most robust" in the world, but others argue it is a "slippery slope towards death on demand".

The straightforward reason for Louise Haigh's rapid resignation

While government sources insist this resignation was Louise Haigh's decision, the political weather around the now former transport secretary always made walking from her job a potential outcome.

As well as being the first cabinet minister to resign, Ms Haigh was also the first cabinet minister to be publicly rebuked by Sir Keir Starmer.

That was over calls she made to boycott P&O ferries after the mass sacking of hundreds of workers - comments that led to a £1bn investment being temporarily shelved.

Hailing from the left of Labour, the Sheffield MP also has connections with former Downing Street chief of staff Sue Gray.

But with a new team now in place at the top of Number 10 - some had already been speculating about her future in government.

The ultimate trigger for this resignation is likely more straight forward, though.

In 2022, speaking about the party gate scandal, Sir Keir Starmer said "you can’t be a lawmaker and a lawbreaker".

This appears to show what that mantra looks like when transplanted into the realities of government.

Assisted dying bill: This is how MPs plan to vote

The first vote on the assisted dying bill is not only hugely consequential, it's also hugely unpredictable and even as the vote draws near it still feels like it could go either way.

MPs will debate the bill, brought forward by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, in parliament today before they get a free vote on the legislation.

There are a few reasons why the potential outcome of the vote is difficult to predict. Firstly, the last Commons vote on this issue was back in 2015. It was also a Private Members' Bill and a free vote, that was defeated by 331 to 119 - 199 MPs didn't vote and one abstained.

That may seem like a useful starting point to predict future results but there has been an unprecedented turnover of MPs since then.

It was less than a decade ago but over two-thirds of those MPs from 2015 are no longer in parliament. This means there's no voting record that can help us out this time round.

Secondly, it's a free vote so we can't, as we usually would, look to the political parties to work out the numbers.

Every single one of the 650 MPs must make up their minds for themselves and they have all taken a slightly different approach to the process.

Some came out straight away and declared their position publicly. Some took their time and have only decided in the last few days, putting out statements on social media platforms.

There are also those who prefer to keep it to themselves, and some who are genuinely still undecided and will be until they walk through the voting lobbies.

So, to get a sense of what could happen, at Sky News we have been monitoring declarations as well as reaching out to every MP personally.

-SKY NEWS