Sheffield MP Louise Haigh currently running country as PM Andy Burnham takes holiday
As Prime Minister Andy Burnham holidays with his family this week, Haigh – who is now the de facto deputy PM – is now the most senior member of the Cabinet currently at work.
Just a few weeks after her appointment to first secretary of state and chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Sheffield MP Louise Haigh is now running the country.
As Prime Minister Andy Burnham holidays with his family this week, Haigh – who is now the de facto deputy PM – is now the most senior member of the Cabinet currently at work.
Haigh was elected as an MP in the 2015 general election, and became Shadow Minister for the Civil Service and Digital Reform under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.
She has been re-elected in the 2017, 2019 and 2024 general elections to her Heeley seat in Sheffield.
After Labour took over the government under previous PM Sir Keir Starmer in July 2024, Haigh joined the Cabinet for the first time as Secretary of State for Transport.
Her time on the Cabinet was cut short however after she admitted an offence of fraud in November 2024.
This July saw her rejoin as the PM’s first secretary of state, the most senior role in the Cabinet and the de facto deputy PM.
In the PM’s absence this week, Haigh has spoken about procurement rules and reforming ‘social value’ requirements for businesses before they are awarded government contracts.