Chris Huhne could face six-month jail sentence if found guilty

SENIOR Liberal Democrat Chris Huhne has been forced to quit his job as Energy Secretary after it was confirmed he will face trial over allegations he asked his former wife to take speeding points for him.

In a long-awaited announcement, Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer announced Huhne and former wife Vicky Pryce would be charged with perverting the course of justice.

It follows an allegation made by Ms Pryce last year, not long after Huhne left her for his press aide, Carina Trimingham, 44.

The bitter marriage break-up came shortly after the 2010 election and was one of the first scandals to rock the Tory-Lib Dem coalition.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, a former rival for the Lib Dem leadership, said he hoped Huhne could return to government if he cleared his name.

Huhne, 57, and Ms Pryce are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court in London on 16 February, although it was being suggested last night that the case could end up in the Crown Court.

The Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh in Hampshire declared he was innocent and would mount a “robust defence” against the charge, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The offence Huhne is alleged to have committed has, in previous cases, led to prison sentences of three to six months.

Huhne’s departure forced a mini-reshuffle, which saw Lib Dem business minister Ed Davey promoted to the Cabinet as Energy Secretary. The vacancy left by Mr Davey in the Department for Business was filled by Norman Lamb, a parliamentary aide to Mr Clegg.

The changes – which involved only Lib Dem MPs – were announced by Mr Clegg.

In a letter to Huhne, the Deputy Prime Minister said: “I fully understand your decision to stand down from government in order to clear your name, but I hope you will be able to do so rapidly so that you can return to play a key role in government as soon as possible.”

However, Prime Minister David Cameron made no mention of a possible return in his letter accepting Huhne’s resignation, saying only: “Like the Deputy Prime Minister, I am sorry to see you leave the government under these circumstances and wish you well for the future.”

Huhne is the third Cabinet minister – and the second senior Lib Dem – to be forced out since the formation of the coalition in 2010, following the resignations of David Laws and Liam Fox.

His departure will be rued by Lib Dems on the left of the party, who saw him as one of the ministers most able to stand up for their values against the Tories in Cabinet.

Environmentalists voiced dismay at the loss of what Greenpeace described as “a vocal advocate for the green agenda in a government whose green credentials are looking more than a little tarnished”.

In a 30-second statement outside his London home, Huhne described the decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to press charges as “deeply regrettable”.

He said: “I am innocent of these charges and I intend to fight this in the courts and I am confident that a jury will agree.

“So as to avoid any distraction to either my official duties or my trial defence, I am standing down, resigning, as Energy and Climate Change Secretary. I will, of course, continue to serve my constituents in Eastleigh.”

Ms Pryce, a prominent economist, said she hoped for a “quick resolution” to the case.

The Prime Minister and Mr Clegg discussed how they would handle the fall-out from a possible charge in a phone conversation at 9am yesterday. Ten minutes later, Mr Cameron was informed of the charge by his office as he travelled to RAF Northolt for a flight to south-west England, 50 minutes ahead of the official announcement by Mr Starmer.

The Prime Minister took a call at 10:40am from Huhne, who offered his resignation in a conversation lasting five or six minutes. Within 20 minutes, Mr Cameron had contacted Mr Davey to offer him Huhne’s old job.

Mr Cameron later said: “I think Chris Huhne has made the right decision, given the circumstances.”

The events which led to the charges date back almost a decade, to March 2003, when Huhne’s car was allegedly caught by a speed camera on the motorway between Stansted airport in Essex and London.

Ms Pryce claimed last year that her ex-husband had asked “someone” to take the penalty on his behalf to avoid losing his driving licence.

Huhne and Ms Pryce were interviewed by Essex Police before the case was handed to the CPS, but a decision on possible prosecutions was delayed by a court battle to obtain key e-mails.

In a televised statement, Mr Starmer said: “All the available evidence, including the new material, has now been carefully considered by the CPS and we have concluded that there is sufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against Mr Huhne and Ms Pryce for perverting the course of justice.”

Other government changes resulting from the resignation saw Lib Dem MP for Cardiff Central Jenny Willott appointed an assistant government whip and East Dunbartonshire MP Jo Swinson take Mr Lamb’s old post as parliamentary private secretary to Mr Clegg.

Despite widespread speculation, there was no return for Mr Laws, who quit as Chief Secretary to the Treasury in May 2010 and was later suspended from the Commons for seven days after an expenses scandal.

Labour urged Mr Huhne to forfeit a £17,207 payoff due to him as an ex-minister, pointing out that Tory co-chairman Baroness Warsi had urged Gordon Brown’s ministers to do the same when she shared a podium with Huhne in August 2010.

Huhne’s statement outside his home

“I am innocent of these charges and I intend to fight this in the courts and I am confident that a jury will agree.

“So as to avoid any distraction to either my official duties or my trial defence, I am standing down, resigning, as Energy and Climate Change Secretary. I will, of course, continue to serve my constituents in Eastleigh.”

What he wrote to Prime Minister

“This letter is to submit with much regret my resignation as Energy and Climate Change Secretary. I intend to mount a robust defence against the charges brought against me, and I have concluded it would be distracting both to that effort and to my official duties if I were to continue in office.”

It has been an honour to negotiate and then serve in the first coalition government of modern times which has substantial achievements both in reducing the economic dangers faced by our country, and in making progress with policies to tackle climate change and provide energy security. Internationally, we have helped to build a coalition of ambitious countries in Europe and beyond to put the United Nations process back on track.

It has been a privilege to be a minister in the coalition government, and I wish the administration every success with the environmental and economic challenges that lie ahead.

Best wishes

Chris Huhne

What Prime Minister wrote to him

“Thank you for your letter. I believe you have made the right decision under the circumstances.

“You have made a very significant contribution to the government, of which you can be justly proud. I am sorry to see you leave the government under these circumstances and wish you well for the future.”

Vicky Pryce: Blazing a trail in civil service

SHE was the first female to be chief economist at the Department of Trade and Industry, leaving in 2010 after details of her husband’s infidelity emerged.

Before joining the civil service, Vicky Pryce, who has been described as “frighteningly bright”, worked as a chief economist for KPMG, Exxon and Royal Bank of Scotland.

The mother of five has since worked for US business advisory firm FTI.

Carina Trimingham: ‘Other woman’ was BBC journalist

CARINA Trimingham, the press secretary whose affair with Chris Huhne ended his marriage, is a former journalist who used to be married to a woman.

A political activist and campaigns director of the Electoral Reform Society, she previously worked as a journalist for the BBC and Sky and as a freelance publicist. She was once a press officer for Top of the Pops and also worked as a publicist for the Who.

Two bids to lead Lib Dems ended in defeat

CHRIS Huhne was seen as a champion of the Lib Dems in the coalition, and he has a reputation for being ruthless and ambitious.

He has been an MP only since 2005, but he ran for the Lib Dem leadership shortly after going to Westminster and narrowly lost to Sir Menzies Campbell.

He then lost, again narrowly, to Nick Clegg in the next race for the top job.

Previously an MEP, Huhne was a very much a champion of the party’s pro-European Union policy.

His political roots were with the Labour Party, to which he belonged when he attended Oxford University, before switching to the SDP and standing for that party in 1983.

Huhne had a highly successful career before politics, working in the City and as a national newspaper journalist.

He left his wife of 26 years, Vicky Pryce, for his press aide, Carina Trimingham.

How the saga unfolded

12 MARCH, 2003: MEP Chris Huhne is returning home to London, from Stansted airport when his vehicle is caught speeding in Essex. It is alleged he asked “someone” to take the three penalty points so he could avoid a ban.

May 2005: Huhne enters parliament as MP for Eastleigh and is appointed Lib Dem Treasury spokesman.

January 2006: He unsuccessfully stands against Sir Menzies Campbell, right, for the Lib Dem leadership.

March 2006: Huhne is appointed the Liberal Democrats’ spokesman for environment, food and rural affairs.

October 2007: Huhne bids to lead the party again but is beaten by current leader Nick Clegg by 511 votes.

December 2007: Huhne is appointed Lib Dem home affairs spokesman.

May 2010: Huhne joins the coalition government’s Cabinet, as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

June 2010: His affair with his PR adviser Carina Trimingham is exposed.

September 2010: Huhne, a father of five, separates from wife Vicky Pryce after 26 years of marriage.

8 MAY, 2011: Sunday newspapers report allegations that Huhne asked someone to take his speeding points to avoid a driving ban in 2003. He denies the claims.

13 MAY, 2011: Labour MP Simon Danczuk makes a formal complaint to police about the allegations facing Huhne and asks officers to investigate.

15 MAY, 2011: Reports emerge that Ms Pryce is alleged to have taken the penalty points on his behalf.

17 AUGUST, 2011: The Crown Prosecution Service asks Essex Police to investigate further.

20 JANUARY, 2012: The Sunday Times drops opposition to a police request to release e-mails relating to the case.

2 FEBRUARY, 2012: The CPS announces Keir Starmer QC, Director of Public Prosecutions, will make an on-camera statement regarding possible charges against Huhne and his ex-wife. Huhne, meanwhile, attends an annual Lib Dem away-day in Eastbourne to discuss a variety of policy and party matters.

3 FEBRUARY, 2012: Mr Starmer announces that the pair will be charged with perverting the course of justice and appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later this month.