British Cabinet minister resigns over speeding case charge

PanARMENIAN.Net -

A British Cabinet minister said Friday, February 3 he is resigning after authorities announced he faces charges in connection with a speeding offence he allegedly blamed on his ex-wife, CNN reported.

Both Energy and Climate Secretary Chris Huhne and his ex-wife, Vicky Pryce, will be charged, Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer said in a televised statement.

The Liberal Democrat member of the coalition government said he would resign from his Cabinet post to defend the case in court.

Huhne said he was stepping down as Energy Secretary in order to avoid any distraction from the department's work, although he will continue to represent his constituents in parliament. He has repeatedly denied the allegations against him.

Between March and May 2003, Huhne "having allegedly committed a speeding offense, falsely informed the authorities that Pryce was the driver in question, and she falsely accepted that she was the driver," Starmer said.

A court appearance is scheduled for February 16 in London. The offense of perverting the course of justice carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and/or a fine.

Huhne has been the member of parliament for the Eastleigh constituency in Hampshire since 2005, and was a member of the European Parliament for the same area for the six years before that, according to his government department's website.

Before entering politics, Huhne worked as a financial and economic journalist for nearly two decades.