Some say politics would be much quieter with a government majority.
Not at all.
It’s Friday, traditionally the sleepiest day of the working day in Westminster, with MPs facing a potentially generational vote on euthanasia and the government facing its first cabinet resignations.
The first cabinet resignation is a moment for any government and a rite of passage for any prime minister.
First, there will be a first forced reshuffle of senior staff, causing headaches for Downing Street as they search for replacements on the bench, knowing that the appointment of existing ministers will itself create another vacancy.
Louise Haigh is the first cabinet minister Sir Keir Starmer had to rebuke publicly last month over his comments about P&O Ferries.
Now we have the ritual exchange of letters and the ritual blizzard of further questions.
First, there is the simplicity and directness of these letters, particularly the Prime Minister’s letter to Hague.
Prime Ministers often go to considerable lengths to express their feelings lyrically in a farewell letter, no matter how convoluted or headline-grabbing the whole story may be.
In this case, news of the resignation came within 12 hours of the incident first coming to light, but the Prime Minister’s words came across as perfunctory.
The overall mood in Labor and the government is one of mild confusion.
Many people are still processing the news – which was first reported by Sky News and The Times on Thursday night – when they woke up this morning to the news that Louise Hague had died.
Many felt that the series of events Haig described were too minor to warrant her departure without any further disclosure, although some believed she made the right political decision to leave quickly rather than let The problem dragged on for days.
A senior Labor figure described it as a “good resignation” that could allow her to come back with a clean slate at a later date.
We also learned that Hague told Sir Keir the details of the case when he first appointed him to the shadow cabinet.
But the Times claimed that the incident was related to the theft or disappearance of more than one mobile phone.
Haig’s team didn’t deny it, but it didn’t express concern.
At least if she were still in cabinet this morning rather than on the backbench, it would be the subject of more heated further questions.
The Conservatives have seized on the prime minister’s knowledge of at least part of the incident, which they claim raises questions about his judgment in appointing people with criminal convictions.
This would be embarrassing in any case, but particularly so given Sir Keir’s insistence as leader of the opposition during the party gate row that offenders could not become legislators.
But he then appointed a cabinet member despite his convictions before he became a member of Congress.
We’re told the Conservatives were informed of the story during the general election and wanted to be able to disclose it, but their whistleblower involved a different magistrate’s court than the one Hague appeared in, so they couldn’t prove it through court records.
Next, No10 needs to find Louise Haigh’s successor.
Although Hague spoke of “our political program” in her resignation letter, she and the Prime Minister did not always get along politically.
She is seen as one of the few remaining left-wing ministers in the cabinet.
In the years leading up to the election, she was often and incorrectly suggested that she would be sacked in a shadow cabinet reshuffle.
A successor is likely to be announced today.
The Prime Minister’s decision on who he called first is being closely scrutinized for a guide to who impressed him during Labour’s brief period in power.
Sir Keir Starmer also has a bigger vision.
He is eager to shake off the sticky impression of a government that got off to a rocky start.
Now this.
