Chris Huhne Resigns

[Sheilbh]

I've never liked Chris Huhne, but this story is just very sad. Especially the texts of his 18 year old son getting released, and the ones in the article are the nicer ones

But I think it made it clear just how human politics still is, especially when you add in the wife out to destroy him after an affair.

Chris Huhne: how a high-flying cabinet minister was undone
Political heavyweight finally forced to accept consequences of his actions after a decade of deceit, deception and denial
Caroline Davies
The Guardian, Monday 4 February 2013 20.45 GMT


Chris Huhne outside Southwark crown court after the former energy secretary pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice over allegations that he persuaded his then wife to take the blame for a speeding offence. Photograph: Olivia Harris/Reuters

It was late and Chris Huhne, then an MEP, was making his way home after three days sitting in the European parliament in Strasbourg. His Ryanair flight to Stansted landed at 10.27pm on 12 March 2003. There, his black BMW, with its personalised H11HNE plates, was parked, for free, in the airport car park.

As usual, he drove the 40 miles back to the family home in Clapham, south London. This was his routine, month in, month out. He could have had no notion he was about to make a decision that would, ultimately, bring about the destruction of his political career, his family and his reputation.

An impatient driver, with a tendency for speeding and nine points already on his licence, he put his foot down that night. The speed camera on the M11 clocked his car at 11.23pm, some 21 miles south of the airport, and travelling at 69 mph. He was 19 miles over the 50 mph limit – enough to get him three penalty points.

It would be a full 10 years before Huhne, 58, would be forced to accept the consequences of his actions after that night. As is now clear from his guilty plea, he never accepted the points that resulted from his speeding. His then wife, Vicky Pryce, an economist, took the points.

By the time the speeding allegations first surfaced in the media in May  2011, Huhne had become not only the Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh in Hampshire, but had joined the cabinet as secretary of state for energy and climate change. The Sorbonne and Oxford-educated politician, who gained a first in philosophy, politics and economics at Magdalen and earned a fortune in the City after a spell as a financial journalist with the Guardian, Independent and Independent on Sunday, had been tipped as a successor to Nick Clegg, who had narrowly defeated him for the Lib Dem leadership.

By the time the allegations were published, and Essex police began an investigation that would led ultimately lead them both to the dock at Southwark crown court, Pryce was no longer his wife. He had left her after a Sunday newspaper had discovered his affair with his PR adviser Carina Trimingham, who was watching from the public gallerytoday. After a 26-year marriage, the Huhne's divorce was finalised in January 2011. They have three children and Pryce has two from a previous marriage.

That Huhne was prepared to lie, again and again, to save his skin, is now evident. From the moment the Sunday Times and Mail on Sunday ran articles on 8 May 2011, alleging he had asked "someone close to him" to take the points, he issued denial after denial.

The claims were "completely untrue", he said of the media stories. When the matter was referred to the police, they were "simply incorrect", he said, adding that he welcomed police involvement. After being charged, in February 2012, he declared: "I am innocent." He would "fight this in the courts", he added.

And fight he did, right to the bitter end, to prevent the case coming before a jury. Only at the 11th hour, on the actual morning of his trial, did he finally utter the word "guilty".

The prosecution case was that it was "implausible" that anyone but Huhne could have been the driver on that night.

The Huhnes were a two-car family; he acquired a BMW in 1998, while Pryce had a Volvo, though she was also insured to drive his car.

At the time of the offence, he attended parliamentary sessions every month, usually flying out at 6.50am on a Monday to return, preferably on Wednesday night, though sometimes on Thursday. The usual arrangement was that Huhne would drive the BMW to the airport, park it in his free parking space, pick it up on his return and drive it home. The timings of the speeding offence fitted exactly with that routine.

Why, the prosecution questioned, would his wife collect him? Indeed, Huhne himself had told police that he could not remember any occasion where his wife, who hitherto had a clean licence, had collected him.

As Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting, stated in pre-trial hearings – which can only now be reported – it was an "85‑mile round trip" for her, and "not a particularly easy journey".

On that particular night, Pryce was part of a panel at a large function at the London School of Economics, which finished between 7.30pm and 8pm. There was a dinner for the panel and guests afterwards, but none of the witnesses were able to recall whether she stayed for that.

Given that it was difficult for Huhne to get to the airport by public transport to catch his early-morning flight on the Monday, it was likely he drove, as usual – which would have meant her travelling to the airport by public transport in order to drive him home, the crown claimed.

"It was a routine Wednesday night. Why would she make the journey by tube and rail to Stansted?" queried Edis, especially when she had young children at home.

Or, if he had not taken the car to the airport, she had driven an 80-odd mile round trip, which was "senseless and pointless". It would have been unusual, and also memorable. Yet Huhne had always insisted he had no memory of that night at all, the court heard.

Evidence from texts between Huhne and the couple's youngest son, Peter, then 18, were also examined as he fought for his case to be dismissed. They revealed in excruciating and painful detail the toll this was taking on Huhne's family life.

One exchange took place on May 21 2011 – just three days before police were due to interview Huhne and Pryce. In it, Peter told his father: "We all know that you were driving and you put pressure on Mum. Accept it or face the consequences. You've told me that was the case. Or will this be another lie?"

The MP responded: "I have no intention of sending Mum to Holloway Prison for three months. Dad".

His son replied: "Are you going to accept your responsibility or do I have to contact the police and tell them what you told me?"

Why had Huhne never texted an outright denial? John Kelsey-Fry QC, Huhne's barrister, sought to explain the texts had to be taken in the context of the relationship between father and son having completely broken down after the marriage split.

The teenager did not want to see or speak to his father and the only way Huhne could reach out to him was through texts. Invariably he received obscenities back.

A Christmas text from Huhne, "Happy Christmas. Love you, Dad", received the reply: "Well I hate you, so fuck off." Another, in which Huhne proclaimed pride in his son getting a place at St Peter's College, Oxford, was met with "... you have no place in my life and no right to be proud ... you are such an autistic piece of shit. Don't contact me again you make me feel sick". Huhne had replied to the texts as he did because he did not want to "inflame" the situation, said his lawyer.

Huhne's lawyer argued the case against him was "at best gossamer thin" with no evidence of him having participated in any crime. Urging the judge to dismiss it, he said "extensive and extreme" adverse publicity meant Huhne could not have a fair trial.

Waving aloft examples, Kelsey-Fry pointed to one quoting a government official saying that they expected "Huhne to get away with it" if no evidence was found. Another quoted a senior Lib Dem official saying Huhne would "brazen it out". Online comments by readers were full of phrases such as he was "going to get away with it".

The Sunday Times even ran a YouGov poll showing that 60% of people thought him guilty. "This isn't only trial by media," said the lawyer, "they have also published a verdict."

But, said Edis, such a publicity circus cannot mean "that a cabinet minister cannot be tried for a crime".

Legal arguments took days, with a ban on reporting at the time to avoid prejudicing Huhne's trial. Huhne applied both for an application for dismissal and an application for abuse of process to get the case against him thrown out.

The judge refused both.

Official forms concerning the speeding incident were sent to the Huhne family home in Clapham on 25 March 2003. Just three days later Huhne was spotted by police officers using his mobile phone while driving on the Old Kent Road – an offence that would lead to him being banned for six months. The forms relating to the M11 were returned to Essex police on 23 April, saying Pryce had been behind the wheel.

Quite when Huhne decided to come clean is not known. Certainly, he entered a not-guilty plea at a hearing on Monday last week.

It is understood that he told close family and friends of his intention to change his plea during a series of difficult conversations over the weekend.

As he contemplated a prison sentence on Monday, he must also contemplate a new future, having confided in friends that he does not plan to pursue any further career in politics.

[CountDeMoney]

He had left her after a Sunday newspaper had discovered his affair with his PR adviser Carina Trimingham,

Awesome.

[HVC]

He had left her after a Sunday newspaper had discovered his affair with his PR adviser Carina Trimingham,

Awesome.

man, if you're going to ruin your career and marriage aim higher. Dude in a dress.

[CountDeMoney]

man, if you're going to ruin your career and marriage aim higher. Dude in a dress.

Yeah, total uggo.  But a classic Brit situational-specific name.

"I'd like to introduce my fellow urologist, Dr. Stephen Scrotumsworth."

[Admiral Yi]

Dude perjured himself out of a cabinet position over three points on his license? 

[dps]

Perjury aside, does Scotland Yard really not have anything better to do with its time than investigate 8 year old speeding tickets?

[DontSayBanana]

Yeah, total uggo.  But a classic Brit situational-specific name.

"I'd like to introduce my fellow urologist, Dr. Stephen Scrotumsworth."

Looks amazingly like a Pythoner pepperpot.

[Sheilbh]

Dude perjured himself out of a cabinet position over three points on his license? 

He had enough points that he would've lost his license.

[Admiral Yi]

I'm waiting for all the critics of Clinton's impeachment to defend this guy too.

[Valmy]

I'm waiting for all the critics of Clinton's impeachment to defend this guy too.

British people are just a bunch of prudes.  They do not accept sex like us worldly Americans.

[grumbler]

I'm waiting for all the critics of Clinton's impeachment to defend this guy too.

I'm waiting for all the Hoya fans to defend this guy too.

[Sheilbh]

British people are just a bunch of prudes.  They do not accept sex like us worldly Americans.

Funny thing is he had an affair and then divorced his wife over it while in office. No one cared but his vengeful wife

Perjury aside, does Scotland Yard really not have anything better to do with its time than investigate 8 year old speeding tickets?

Well they got credible allegations that he'd committed a crime and got someone else to confess and take the punishment. I think that's a fair reason to investigate.

[Razgovory]

I'm waiting for all the critics of Clinton's impeachment to defend this guy too.

Why would you expect that?

[Admiral Yi]

Why would you expect that?

Clinton got impeached "for a blow job."

This dude lost his job "for a speeding ticket."

[dps]

British people are just a bunch of prudes.  They do not accept sex like us worldly Americans.

Funny thing is he had an affair and then divorced his wife over it while in office. No one cared but his vengeful wife

Perjury aside, does Scotland Yard really not have anything better to do with its time than investigate 8 year old speeding tickets?

Well they got credible allegations that he'd committed a crime and got someone else to confess and take the punishment. I think that's a fair reason to investigate.

Yeah, and if the crime in question was, say, armed robbery, and the punishment had been 10 years or so in prison, of course they'd investigate.  But the crime was a traffic offense, and the punishment was 3 point on her driver's license and I assume a small fine.  Would they have bothered if he'd been some unknown everyman, and not a prominent politician?