LEAD: British cabinet minister resigns over speeding charges

Feb 3, 2012, 12:01 GMT

London - A British government minister resigned Friday following the announcement that he would have to face charges over dodging a speeding fine by having the penalty points put on the driving licence of his now estranged wife.

The resignation of Chris Huhne, 57, is expected to trigger a limited reshuffle in Prime Minister David Cameron's coalition government, of which Huhne is one of four Liberal Democrat (LibDem) ministers.

It represents a blow to Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader and deputy prime minister, who has stood by Huhne in the run-up to Friday's decision. As deputy prime minister, Clegg also has the rank of a cabinet minister, but has no portfolio.

Speaking after the decision to bring charges against him was announced by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Huhne protested his innocence and said he would fight to clear his name in the courts.

He is to be charged with perverting the course of justice, along with his ex-wife, Vicky Pryce. Both will appear in court in London on February 16.

Huhne said the decision to charge him over allegations that he asked his ex-wife to take a speeding penalty for him were 'deeply regrettable.'

'I am innocent of these charges and I intend to fight this in the courts,' he said.

Huhne, a former journalist and business entrepreneur, is regarded as a high flyer in the Liberal Democratic Party. He twice stood for leadership - and failed.

He was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1999 to 2005 and was first elected to the British parliament in 2005.

His 26-year marriage with Pryce, a Greek-born economist and prominent LibDem member, ended acrimoniously in 2010 when Huhne started a relationship with a woman who worked for him during his leadership campaign.

The allegations over the offence first surfaced after the marriage split in 2010, even though the speeding incident goes back to 2003, when Huhne returned home from a session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.