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| Affiliation | Liberal Democrats |
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| <- |
2012-02-04 |
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| Name | Chris Huhne |
| Address |
Eastleigh, England , United Kingdom |
| Email | None |
| Website | [Link] |
| Born |
July 02, 1954
(70 years)
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| Contributor | Ralphie |
| Last Modifed | New Jerusalem
Mar 11, 2013 02:41pm |
| Tags |
Divorced - Convicted - Imprisoned -
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| Info | Christopher Murray Paul-Huhne
Educated at Westminster School, Oxford and the Sorbonne. Pursued careers a journalist (notably as a high-profile economics reporter), and in financial services.
A former member of the Labour Party, Huhne joined the SDP in the early 1980s and stood as a candidate for the party in the 1983 and 1987 General Elections. After the SDP merged with the Liberals, Huhne joined the Liberal Democrats and represented the party in the European Parliament from 1999 until 2005.
At the 2005 General Election Huhne held the Hampshire constituency of Eastleigh for the Liberal Democrats following the retirement of David Chidgey. Huhne did not allow his narrow majority to get in the way of his political ambitions and was an unsuccessful candidate for the leadership of the Liberal Democrats in 2006 and 2007. From 2007 until 2010 he served as the party's spokesman on Home Affairs and was appointed to the Cabinet as Environment Secretary following the formation of the Conservative/Liberal coalition after the 2010 General Election.
A more partisan Liberal Democrat than his right-wing colleagues such as Nick Clegg or Danny Alexander, Huhne was unafraid of publicly disagreeing with Conservative cabinet ministers on selected issues, a stance that would have greatly boosted his leadership aspirations had his career not been comprehensively derailed by scandal.
Shortly after the 2010 election and Huhne's elevation to the cabinet, it emerged that he had been having an affair with a member of his staff. Huhne, who had previously cultivated an image as a family man and loyal husband, responded to these revelations by leaving his wife of 26 years - the economist Vicky Pryce - who promptly divorced him. Shortly afterwards, accusations began to circulate that Pryce had helped Huhne to evade fines for speeding by taking his driving licence penalty points for herself (a criminal offence in the United Kingdom). After a lengthy police investigation, Huhne and Pryce were charged with perverting the course of justice on the 3rd of February 2012. Huhne's prosecution led to his immediate resignation from the Cameron cabinet and appears likely to have brought his career to a sudden end.
Unsuccessful candidate (SDP) for Reading East 1983, for Oxford West & Abingdon 1987. Member of the European Parliament for South East England 1999-2005. Member of Parliament for Eastleigh 2005-present. Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change 2010-2012. Unsuccessful candidate for the leadership of the Liberal Democrats 2006, 2007.
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