Latest news with #LouiseHaigh
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
List of Government departures since Labour won general election
Sir Keir Starmer has lost 10 members of his Government since Labour won the general election in July 2024. This is a higher number of departures than those clocked up by his immediate predecessors during the equivalent period of their premiership. Rishi Sunak lost nine Government members in the first 13 months since taking office, Boris Johnson six and Theresa May three. Liz Truss's premiership lasted only a month and a half, during which there were three departures. These totals do not include people who left the government as part of changes made during a planned reshuffle. The figures are based on PA news agency reports and data published by the Institute for Government. The 10 people to leave the Labour Government so far are: 1. Louise Haigh (November 28 2024). Resigned as transport secretary after failing to correct police records in 2013 regarding a stolen mobile phone.2. Tulip Siddiq (January 14 2025). Resigned as economic secretary to the Treasury after an investigation by the independent adviser on ministerial standards.3. Andrew Gwynne (February 8 2025). Sacked from job as under-secretary of state for public health and prevention for comments in a WhatsApp group.4. Lord Cryer (February 14 2025). Resigned as government whip in the House of Lords due to personal reasons.5. Annalise Dodds (February 28 2025). Resigned as international development minister and minister for women over cuts to the international aid budget.6. Lord Hunt (May 22 2025). Retired after holding post of minister of state in Department for Energy Security.7. Baroness Curran (June 6 2025). Resigned as minister of state in Department for Energy Security due to ill health.8. Vicky Foxcroft (June 19 2025). Resigned as government whip in the House of Commons over proposed cuts to disability benefits.9. Lord Moraes (July 22 2025). Resigned as government whip in the House of Lords due to personal reasons.10. Rushanara Ali (August 7 2025). Resigned as homelessness minister in Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government after allegations she increased rent on a property she owned.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
List of Government departures since Labour won general election
Sir Keir Starmer has lost 10 members of his Government since Labour won the general election in July 2024. This is a higher number of departures than those clocked up by his immediate predecessors during the equivalent period of their premiership. Rishi Sunak lost nine Government members in the first 13 months since taking office, Boris Johnson six and Theresa May three. Liz Truss's premiership lasted only a month and a half, during which there were three departures. These totals do not include people who left the government as part of changes made during a planned reshuffle. The figures are based on PA news agency reports and data published by the Institute for Government. The 10 people to leave the Labour Government so far are: 1. Louise Haigh (November 28 2024). Resigned as transport secretary after failing to correct police records in 2013 regarding a stolen mobile phone.2. Tulip Siddiq (January 14 2025). Resigned as economic secretary to the Treasury after an investigation by the independent adviser on ministerial standards.3. Andrew Gwynne (February 8 2025). Sacked from job as under-secretary of state for public health and prevention for comments in a WhatsApp group.4. Lord Cryer (February 14 2025). Resigned as government whip in the House of Lords due to personal reasons.5. Annalise Dodds (February 28 2025). Resigned as international development minister and minister for women over cuts to the international aid budget.6. Lord Hunt (May 22 2025). Retired after holding post of minister of state in Department for Energy Security.7. Baroness Curran (June 6 2025). Resigned as minister of state in Department for Energy Security due to ill health.8. Vicky Foxcroft (June 19 2025). Resigned as government whip in the House of Commons over proposed cuts to disability benefits.9. Lord Moraes (July 22 2025). Resigned as government whip in the House of Lords due to personal reasons.10. Rushanara Ali (August 7 2025). Resigned as homelessness minister in Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government after allegations she increased rent on a property she owned.
Evening Standard
5 days ago
- Politics
- Evening Standard
List of Government departures since Labour won general election
1. Louise Haigh (November 28 2024). Resigned as transport secretary after failing to correct police records in 2013 regarding a stolen mobile phone.2. Tulip Siddiq (January 14 2025). Resigned as economic secretary to the Treasury after an investigation by the independent adviser on ministerial standards.3. Andrew Gwynne (February 8 2025). Sacked from job as under-secretary of state for public health and prevention for comments in a WhatsApp group.4. Lord Cryer (February 14 2025). Resigned as government whip in the House of Lords due to personal reasons.5. Annalise Dodds (February 28 2025). Resigned as international development minister and minister for women over cuts to the international aid budget.6. Lord Hunt (May 22 2025). Retired after holding post of minister of state in Department for Energy Security.7. Baroness Curran (June 6 2025). Resigned as minister of state in Department for Energy Security due to ill health.8. Vicky Foxcroft (June 19 2025). Resigned as government whip in the House of Commons over proposed cuts to disability benefits.9. Lord Moraes (July 22 2025). Resigned as government whip in the House of Lords due to personal reasons.10. Rushanara Ali (August 7 2025). Resigned as homelessness minister in Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government after allegations she increased rent on a property she owned.
Telegraph
11-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
It's time to stand up to the union bullies
The foundational error of this Labour Government was made in its first weeks in office, when the decision was made to meet the demands of intransigent unions for pay rises. Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, awarded above-inflation raises for swathes of the public sector, including 22 per cent for junior doctors; Louise Haigh, the Transport Secretary, meanwhile, offered train drivers 14 per cent. The new Government's decision to simply buy its way out of a political headache set a precedent that was keenly observed by the unions. Junior doctors are once again militating for massive pay rises, with strikes on the way. The Unite union, meanwhile, one of Labour's financial backers, is attempting to put the squeeze on the party over Angela Rayner's stance on the Birmingham bin strikes. Unite has suspended Ms Rayner's membership and is now reviewing its relationship with the party. Ms Rayner, for her part, is understood to believe she is not currently a member regardless of the union's stance. She should build on this: it is the Government's task to stand up to union bullies attempting to extort the taxpayer at a point when the public finances are already under intolerable strain. Similarly, Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, must stand firm in his negotiations with the British Medical Association. His proposal to cut gold-plated pensions to fund current pay rises is a good one, and deserves serious consideration. The BMA's insistence that doctors require large pay rises to make up for price rises since 2008, on the other hand, appears to be rooted in the use of an inflation measure known to significantly overstate the rate of price increases. Given that NHS productivity in hospitals has fallen since 2019, it is difficult to see how such a rise can possibly be viewed as reasonable, even by partisan advocates. Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, for her part, is facing the prospect of further strikes, with the National Education Union rejecting an offer of a 2.8 per cent pay rise. The overall impression is of a Government that seems to lack any tool for dealing with union pressure other than simply folding and paying up. With the economy now beginning to weaken under the burden of the state, it is surely time for a new strategy. Yet the current thrust of Government policy is to give the unions more powers and more concessions. The Employment Rights Bill is set to be followed by the repeal of the minimum service laws put in place by the Conservatives in an attempt to 'create a better relationship with unions that will prevent the need for strikes'. This is utterly wrongheaded. The Government should aim to keep public services operating, and to give employers certainty. It is time to weaken the hand of the unions, not strengthen it.
Rhyl Journal
08-07-2025
- Business
- Rhyl Journal
Road schemes will ‘probably' be finished in under a decade
Heidi Alexander was unable to give a concrete timeline for when the schemes involving junction upgrades and dualling at key locations across Britain will be delivered, but said further details would be published in a strategy next March. The Government on Tuesday announced the revival of major road and rail projects outside London and the South East, backed by £92 billion from last month's spending review. Most have been in the works for several years and many have already received planning permission, but their future was thrown into doubt last year when Labour announced a review of transport infrastructure projects. In a statement to Parliament, then-transport secretary Louise Haigh accused the Tories of leaving a £2.9 billion gap between improvements it had promised and what it had funded. Almost a year after launching its internal review, the Government will now press on with five major road schemes, five rail projects and 28 smaller road schemes, which it says will cut journey times, ease congestion, create jobs and support new housing. These include a widening of the A66 Trans-Pennine route, first proposed in 2016, the M54-M6 link, and junction improvements in places like Derby around the A38. Asked whether the projects would be delivered within five years, Ms Alexander told Sky News most would 'start construction' within that period but take 'varying lengths of time.' Pressed on whether they were in fact decade-long schemes, the minister replied: 'I don't believe that they will take a decade to deliver, no. 'I think they will be delivered more swiftly than that, but it is true to say that these are very significant schemes which will take a number of years to deliver, probably not stretching out as far as 10 years.' She said estimates for when the three projects will finish are to be published when the Government releases its road investment strategy in March. Preparatory work for some of the schemes has continued despite the pause, but Tuesday's announcement means they can now proceed in full. The reopening of the railway between Portishead and Bristol, which has been the subject of a 25-year campaign, has also been given the green light. The A66 upgrade was given planning permission in March 2024, but was delayed by an ultimately unsuccessful legal challenge and put on hold by the new Government's review. Construction is now expected to start this winter. Former prime minister Rishi Sunak, whose constituency is served by the A66, welcomed the announcement, saying it would improve 'journey reliability'. The Portishead line, reopening a railway that was closed in the 1960s, was also thrown into question by the review, but then West of England mayor Dan Norris announced funding had been secured in February this year. On Tuesday, the Government announced it would invest another £27 million in the project, which it said would 'connect an additional 50,000 people' and support 'a significant new housing development'. Other major road schemes confirmed on Tuesday include the M54-M6 link, the M60 Simister Island junction near Manchester, the A38 Derby junctions and improvements to the A46 Newark bypass. Both the Simister Island and Newark bypass projects are yet to receive planning permission. The Government has also confirmed its commitment to build new stations at Wellington and Cullompton in the South West and Haxby in Yorkshire, which had all been part of the Conservatives' Restoring Your Railway project that was scrapped when Labour came to power. Funding for the stations, along with the Midlands Rail Hub plan to add 300 trains a day to the West Midlands network, was previously announced at last month's spending review. Other, smaller, schemes include improvements to the Middlewich Eastern Bypass, in Cheshire, and the A382 between Drumbridges and Newton Abbot, in Devon. Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the investments were 'long overdue' and would 'transform local communities and improve living standards across the country'. Ms Alexander said: 'Transport is the backbone of our economy, which is why we are giving them the record funding boost they need, putting taxpayers' money where it matters most and making everyday journeys easier.' But the Conservatives accused the Government of using the announcement as a 'distraction tactic'. Shadow transport secretary Gareth Bacon said: 'Labour are re-announcing projects that are already under way in order to distract from their failing economic strategy of high tax and high borrowing. They just don't have a plan. 'Rachel Reeves's catastrophic economic mismanagement and Keir Starmer's total inability to control his own party has led to a string of unfunded U-turns, meaning that more tax rises are coming.'
