Haigh could be the first of Starmer's ministers to fall

Before the election, I predicted that Yvette Cooper might be the first minister in the incoming government to come under pressure.

- JOHN RENTOUL

I thought that, given her responsibility as home secretary for “smashing the gangs” that run the small boat traffic across the Channel, she was guaranteed to fail.

Nor have her efforts, so far, been a great success. It took 10 embarrassing weeks for a “border security commander” to be appointed. The number of people coming across the Channel is running at about the same level as last year.

And yesterday it was revealed that the government has asked hotel providers to come forward with more spaces to accommodate asylum seekers, as the numbers continue to rise. Instead of the manifesto promise to “end asylum hotels, saving the taxpayer billions of pounds”, Cooper is buying more places, costing the taxpayer more.

But she faces surprise competition for the title of Most Blundersome Cabinet Minister from Louise Haigh, the transport secretary. Haigh’s first task on coming to office was to settle the train drivers’ dispute that had been intermittently paralysing the rail network for two years. She set about it with an excess of zeal.