This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21320992
The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Chris Huhne admits perverting the course of justice | Chris Huhne admits perverting the course of justice |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Former cabinet minister Chris Huhne has admitted perverting the course of justice over claims his ex-wife took speeding points for him a decade ago. | |
| The Liberal Democrat MP, 58, changed his plea on the first day of his trial at Southwark Crown Court. He could face a prison sentence for the offence. | |
| Huhne said outside court he would stand down as MP for Eastleigh, Hampshire. | |
| His former wife, Vicky Pryce, has pleaded not guilty to the same offence on the grounds of marital coercion. | His former wife, Vicky Pryce, has pleaded not guilty to the same offence on the grounds of marital coercion. |
| They were charged last year in relation to the alleged offence in 2003. | They were charged last year in relation to the alleged offence in 2003. |
| Huhne, from Eastleigh, resigned as energy and climate change secretary after he was charged and has now forced a by-election in his constituency. | |
| Speaking outside court he said: "Having taken responsibility for something that happened 10 years ago, the only proper course of action for me is to resign my Eastleigh seat in Parliament, which I will do shortly. | |
| Prison sentence | Prison sentence |
| BBC chief political correspondent Norman Smith said that by standing down, Huhne - a Lib Dem "big hitter" - was accepting that his career was over. | |
| But for a few votes in 2007, Chris Huhne could have been deputy prime minister. Instead, his decision to plead guilty to perverting the course of justice means his career in politics is now over. | |
| He will almost certainly face some kind of jail sentence. He has announced he will resign from parliament. | |
| A by-election in his Eastleigh constituency in Hampshire will plunge the coalition parties into their first divisive contest in a very marginal seat. Mr Huhne's majority there is just 3,864. Eastleigh is on the Conservatives' target list for the general election and David Cameron could use this as an opportunity to silence the doubters in his own party. | |
| There would be nothing like a victory over the Lib Dems to answer the critics on his own backbenches. After the Lib Dems' refusal to back boundary changes that would have helped the Tories, their blood is up for revenge. | |
| But if UKIP leader Nigel Farage chose to stand in Eastleigh, he might divide the conservative-minded vote and allow the Lib Dems to hold onto the seat. Mr Farage did stand for the Eastleigh by-election in 1994 so he knows the turf. Today he said he'd think about it | |
| As for the Lib Dems, this is a huge blow. They have lost one of their big beasts who took the fight to the Tories. | |
| Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg is understood to be "shocked and saddened" by Huhne's conduct. | |
| The charge relates to an incident in March 2003 when Huhne's car was allegedly caught by a speed camera on the motorway between Stansted Airport in Essex and London. | The charge relates to an incident in March 2003 when Huhne's car was allegedly caught by a speed camera on the motorway between Stansted Airport in Essex and London. |
| It is alleged that between 12 March and 21 May 2003, Ms Pryce, 60, from Clapham in south London, falsely informed police that she was the driver of the car so Huhne could avoid prosecution. | It is alleged that between 12 March and 21 May 2003, Ms Pryce, 60, from Clapham in south London, falsely informed police that she was the driver of the car so Huhne could avoid prosecution. |
| BBC legal affairs correspondent Clive Coleman said it was a serious offence which was invariably punished by a prison sentence - usually about six months to a year in this kind of case. | BBC legal affairs correspondent Clive Coleman said it was a serious offence which was invariably punished by a prison sentence - usually about six months to a year in this kind of case. |
| Huhne had vowed to fight the charges and last week pleaded not guilty. | Huhne had vowed to fight the charges and last week pleaded not guilty. |
| But on Monday, his barrister John Kelsey-Fry QC invited the court to read the indictment to Huhne once more, even though he had already pleaded not guilty at last week's hearing. | |
| When the allegation of perverting the course of justice was read he quietly declared that he was guilty. | When the allegation of perverting the course of justice was read he quietly declared that he was guilty. |
| Ms Pryce was also sitting in the dock and neither showed any emotion as he entered his plea. | Ms Pryce was also sitting in the dock and neither showed any emotion as he entered his plea. |
| Granting Huhne unconditional bail until a sentence date to be fixed, Mr Justice Sweeney said: "As Mr Kelsey-Fry has foreshadowed, you should have no illusions whatsoever as to the sort of sentence that you are likely to receive." | |
| Carina Trimingham, whom Huhne admitted having an affair with in 2010, ending his 26-year marriage to Ms Pryce, was in the public gallery as he appeared in court. | Carina Trimingham, whom Huhne admitted having an affair with in 2010, ending his 26-year marriage to Ms Pryce, was in the public gallery as he appeared in court. |