Huhne quits as minister over charge

Chris Huhne has quit David Cameron's Cabinet after being charged with perverting the course of justice over allegations that he asked his ex-wife to take a speeding penalty for him.

In a letter of resignation to the Prime Minister, Mr Huhne said he was standing down as energy and climate change secretary to mount "a robust defence" against the charge. Remaining in the Cabinet would be "distracting" both to his legal fight and to his Government work, he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said he hoped his Liberal Democrat colleague would "rapidly" clear his name to "return to play a key role in government as soon as possible".

In a letter to Mr Huhne, Mr Cameron said he had made "the right decision under the circumstances" and wished him well for the future. But the Prime Minister made no mention of a possible return to Government after the court case is concluded.

Mr Huhne's departure will force what is expected to be a limited Government reshuffle, with business minister Ed Davey tipped by senior sources for promotion into his former post.

The Eastleigh MP and his former wife, economist Vicky Pryce, who faces the same charge, will appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on February 16.

The charge - which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment - will eventually be heard by a judge at Crown Court.

It is alleged that Mr Huhne persuaded his ex-wife to take penalty points for a 2003 speeding offence on his behalf to avoid losing his driving licence.

Mr Huhne announced his resignation in a 30-second statement outside his London home, less than an hour after Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer announced the decision to charge him.

Describing the prosecution as "deeply regrettable", the 57-year-old MP 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."

Mr Huhne made clear that he will remain MP for Eastleigh in Hampshire while he awaits trial.

"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," he said.

"I will, of course, continue to serve my constituents in Eastleigh."

A spokeswoman for Osbornes solicitors, the legal firm representing Ms Pryce, said they were not commenting on the prosecution.

In his resignation letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Huhne said he was standing down "with much regret".

"I intend to mount a robust defence against the charges brought against me, and I have concluded that it would be distracting both to that effort and to my official duties if I were to continue in office," he wrote.

In reply, Mr Cameron praised his work as Energy and Climate Change Secretary, as well as his role in the negotiating the coalition between Conservatives and Liberal Democrats following the inconclusive 2010 election.

"I believe you have made the right decision under the circumstances," wrote the Prime Minister.

"You have made a very significant contribution to the Government, of which you can be justly proud...

"Like the Deputy Prime Minister, I am sorry to see you leave the Government under these circumstances and wish you well for the future."

In his letter, Mr Clegg told his former leadership rival he was "immensely grateful" for his "trailblazing" work in government.

The Deputy Prime Minister added: "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."

Other Lib Dem names thought to be under consideration for promotion are Foreign Office minister Jeremy Browne, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's parliamentary aide Norman Lamb and former Treasury minister David Laws, who could return to a Government position 20 months after being forced to quit by an expenses scandal.

Under the terms of the coalition agreement, Mr Clegg's party is guaranteed a fixed proportion of Cabinet places, and it is expected that Mr Davey's place would be filled by a Lib Dem if he is promoted.

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

But allegations of impropriety did not emerge until after the MP's 26-year marriage ended in 2010 as a result of his affair with PR adviser Carina Trimingham.

Ms Pryce told the Sunday Times last year that her ex-husband - then an MEP - had asked "someone" to take the penalty on his behalf to avoid losing his driving licence. It later emerged that the "someone" was her.

After the allegations surfaced, Mr Huhne said the claims were "simply incorrect" and had previously "been shown to be untrue".

Both Mr Huhne and Ms Pryce were interviewed by Essex Police detectives before the case was handed to the Crown Prosecution Service, but the decision was delayed by a court battle to obtain key emails from the Sunday Times.

Mr Huhne described the decision to charge him as "deeply regrettable" today.

Announcing the decision, Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer said a criminal complaint was made to Essex Police last May, alleging that Ms Pryce had accepted responsibility for a speeding offence committed by Mr Huhne in 2003.

"That complaint was investigated by Essex Police and a file was passed to the CPS in late July 2011. The CPS advised that further investigations should be made, including obtaining certain material from a national newspaper," he said.

"Those further investigations were made and, in October 2011, an order was made for the newspaper to produce material to the police.

"The newspaper appealed that order, as it was entitled to do, but subsequently consented to producing the material in question just before the appeal was due to be heard, on January 20 this year.

"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.

"The essence of the charges is that, between March and May 2003, Mr Huhne, having allegedly committed a speeding offence, falsely informed the investigating authorities that Ms Pryce had been the driver of the vehicle in question, and she falsely accepted that she was the driver.

"Accordingly, summonses against both Mr Huhne and Ms Pryce have been obtained from Westminster Magistrates' Court and those summonses will now be served on them. They are due to appear in court on February 16 this year."