Decisions about Louise Haig's future were “handled very quickly” and presented a “huge contrast” to the way issues were handled under the Conservative government, ministers said.
Pat McFadden, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, rejected suggestions that the transport secretary's resignation and the row over freebies were “disrupting” the Labor government, as it was not “something that would drag on for weeks”.
His comments came after Sky News reported claims that police officers searching Mr Haig's phone believed photos he had given him. Photographed after the alleged theft.
Mr McFadden described Mr Hay as a “good colleague” and said he was “sad to see her go”, but when asked if the Prime Minister knew the full details of her conviction, he said: “Who knew what and when. He added that he didn't know if he had done so. When Haig was appointed to the Cabinet.
Mr McFadden told Sky News: “Given the current situation with Louise Haig, this story came to light and was dealt with very quickly. Louise decided to resign by the end of the day. .
“This is not something that goes on for weeks. It's not like there's endless talk about it before action is taken, and within 24 hours we have a new Secretary of Transportation.”
Mr Hague resigned from the cabinet on Friday morning, leaving a letter to Mr Starmer saying: “Whatever the facts, it is inevitable that this issue will get in the way of the government getting its job done.'' She was replaced by Congresswoman Heidi Alexander.
In a separate statement, Mr Hague said he was robbed on a night out while working for insurance company Aviva in his mid-20s. She provided police with a list of items missing from her handbag, including her work phone, which was believed to have been stolen.
Hay was given a new phone, but when she later found her old work phone and turned it on, police summoned her for questioning.
on sunday, Senior Labor MP Diane Abbott told the BBC that the Prime Minister “doesn't seem to understand” that allowing Mr Hague to resign “has made him look bad”, adding: “The Prime Minister doesn't seem to understand that he has made himself look bad” by allowing Mr Hague to resign. I made it worse,” he claimed. [Starmer] knew that [of her convictions] From the beginning. ”
The prime minister's official spokesperson on Friday refused to confirm whether Mr Starmer knew at any point about the conviction. However, a number of sources told the Guardian that Mr Hague spoke to the prime minister about the conviction when he became Northern Ireland's shadow secretary in 2020.
Officials also said Haig did not report a 2014 conviction for falsely reporting that his cell phone was stolen because he was only asked about the outstanding charges. She pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and was released conditionally.
When asked if the main issue was dealing with problems quickly, McFadden said: “I think that's partially true, because people do wrong things and those things come to light and we know how to deal with it and how to respond.” This is part of how it works (…) There's a huge contrast there. ”
Ministers rejected suggestions that Mr Starmer was a “hypocrite” and continued to put Mr Hague on the front bench despite his opponent saying: “You cannot be an MP and a lawbreaker”. was appointed.
“I think he's appointed a good cabinet. It's a more united cabinet than I've seen in years, and we're working together on a transformation plan that sets out the priorities that we're announcing this week,” McFadden said.
