Cabinet minister ‘lost Aviva job’ after mobile phone offence

Transport secretary Lousie Haigh reportedly lost her job at Aviva after incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013.

The cabinet minister resigned from her government role today (29 November 2024) and said in a letter to prime minister Keir Starmer that the incident was a mistake.

Haigh said: “As you know, in 2013 I was mugged in London. As a 24-year-old woman, the experience was terrifying. In the immediate aftermath, I reported the incident to the police.

“I gave the police a list of my possessions that I believed had been stolen, including my work phone.

“Some time later, I discovered that the handset in question was still in my house.

“I should have immediately informed my employer and not doing so straight away was a mistake.”

‘Lost job’

According to Sky News, Haigh appeared in court six months before the 2015 general election after making a false report to officers that her mobile phone had been stolen.

The publication stated that Haigh had been working as a public policy manager at Aviva, “but two sources said she lost her job at the insurance firm because of the incident”.

Haigh called the incident a “genuine mistake from which I did not make any gain”.

Explaining it further in a statement sent to Sky News, Haigh said: “In the interim [between making the police report and discovering it had not been stolen], I had been issued with another work phone.

“The original work device being switched on triggered police attention and I was asked to come in for questioning.

“My solicitor advised me not to comment during that interview and I regret following that advice.”