Louise Haigh: Shadow NI secretary replaced in Labour reshuffle

The Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Louise Haigh is moving jobs as part of a wide-ranging reshuffle of senior posts within the Labour Party.

The Sheffield MP will move to the shadow transport secretary brief and will be replaced by Peter Kyle who was the shadow schools minister.

Ms Haigh held the Northern Ireland post for just over a year and a half, having been appointed in April 2020.

In a tweet, she said it had been an "incredible honour to serve".

Ms Haigh made headlines earlier this month when she said Labour should be neutral if there was an Irish unity referendum.

In an interview with GB News, she it was not her job "to be a persuader for the union".

"The principle of consent is still very much intact and it is only for the people of Northern Ireland to determine their own constitutional future and polls still suggest that there is a very firm majority in favour of remaining in the United Kingdom," Ms Haigh said.

Her remarks were criticised by unionist politicians, including the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who said the UK government should never be neutral on the issue.

Ms Haigh's brief tenure in Northern Ireland has been praised by the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader Colum Eastwood and Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry, who described her as "an amazing shadow secretary of state".

During her 19 months in the job she more than once described Mo Mowlam - one of her predecessors here - as her political idol.

Louise Haigh also gained a reputation as a strong media performer with a genuine interest in Northern Ireland.

However some may say it's no coincidence she's been moved just days after contradicting her party's leader Sir Keir Starmer on whether Labour would campaign for the union in the event of a border poll.

Labour sources have rejected that assessment and said the Sheffield MP was being moved to "take the fight" to the Tories on high-profile issues in the north of England.

Her replacement, Peter Kyle, is the MP for Hove and Portslade.

In a tweet announcing her departure, Ms Haigh said: "It has been an incredible honour to serve as Shadow NI Secretary.

"I have met the most amazing people, committed to building peace and relationships across these islands.

"And such a privilege to defend Labour's legacy on the Good Friday Agreement and its vision for a shared future."

She later added she was "now looking forward to getting stuck into the Tories on behalf of communities who have been sold out by their transport betrayal".

Ms Eastwood said he was sorry to hear that Ms Haigh was leaving her Northern Ireland brief but added that the SDLP "knew she'd be promoted before long".

In a tweet he said: "Very rarely does a British politician really get the North - Louise got it and always advocated for a sensible approach from London."

Mr Farry from the Alliance Party wished her luck in the transport brief, but advised against "unrealistic bridges or tunnels" to Northern Ireland.

He was referred to a proposal to build a transport link between Scotland and Northern Ireland which was recently ruled out due to its projected costs which were estimated to be at least £209bn.

Ulster Unionist Steve Aiken has welcomed Mr Kyle to his Northern Ireland role, tweeting that he was looking forward to meeting the MP and "hopefully he'll be as strong an advocate for the Union and Belfast Agreement as Sir Keir Starmer".