untenable. In order to be able to exercise my basic rights as a citizen, it is necessary for me to resign as a Member of Parliament. I have informed Phil Goff of my decision. Although people are commonly thought to be innocent until proven guilty, it has become clear to me that this doesn't apply in the political arena. I have done nothing wrong, and I remain confident that the legal process will have the right outcome. My immediate focus is on clearing my name. I will continue to co-operate fully with the police inquiry ..." Speaker of the House Lockwood Smith confirmed Hughes's resignation on 1 April and it took effect on 5 April 2011. Over three months after the original incident, on 8 June, the Police announced that they did not have enough evidence to press charges against Hughes. They also revealed that an anonymous letter containing allegations against Hughes had been sent to "some media outlets". They had investigated these allegations but "there were no matters which arose that required police attention". Reallocation of portfolios The roles that Hughes had filled for the Labour opposition went to Sue Moroney, David Shearer and Rick Barker. Moroney took over the education portfolio, with specific responsibility for primary and secondary schooling, and joined the party's front bench. Shearer took over the tertiary education portfolio and Barker became the new senior whip. Replacement by Louisa Wall (as MP) and Peter Foster (as Otaki candidate) Because he had been elected through the party list rather than by an electorate, Hughes' seat passed down Labour's party list to Louisa Wall without a by-election. There were five people listed before Wall who could have taken the seat, but they all stood aside. (Wall, unlike the others, was due to stand for Labour in the general election later that year.) The five were all former MPs, listed at numbers 38-42: Judith Tizard (number 38), Mark Burton, Mahara Okeroa, Martin Gallagher and Dave Hereora (42). With Hughes not running for re-election, Labour named Raumati lawyer Peter Foster as their Otaki electorate candidate for 2011. Current role , Hughes is Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society (ERS). The ERS is a civil society organisation striving to make British democracy fit for the 21st century. Since joining the ERS in 2012, Hughes has been responsible for driving the Society's campaigns and research priorities. Under the leadership of