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Tory Aitken to advise on prisons | Tory Aitken to advise on prisons |
(20 minutes later) | |
Disgraced former Cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken, who was jailed for perjury, is to lead a study into prison reform for a Tory policy group. | |
He will head a taskforce for Iain Duncan Smith's Centre for Social Justice, which advises Tory leader David Cameron on social issues. | |
Mr Aitken was jailed in 1999 for perjury during a libel action which he had left the Cabinet to fight. | |
He told the Observer that prison reform was "a cause dear to my heart". | |
'Not comeback' | |
Confirming he was taking on the new role, Mr Aitken said: "It is an assignment well worth taking extremely seriously. | |
"This isn't an ego trip for me. This is a job to be done. I have a very good team who I think will help to do it well." | |
Mr Aitken added: "I don't regard this as any kind of Aitken comeback. I regard it as a job to be done and an assignment. | |
"This is something I can contribute to, not that this is some sort of ladder for me." | |
Mr Aitken resigned as chief secretary to the Treasury in 1995 so he could sue the Guardian over allegations that a Saudi businessman had paid for him to stay at the Paris Ritz in breach of ministerial rules. | |
There was a personal rehabilitation for Jonathan Aitken during his time in jail Nick WoodCentre for Social Justice | There was a personal rehabilitation for Jonathan Aitken during his time in jail Nick WoodCentre for Social Justice |
Launching the action, he insisted that the "simple sword of truth" would help him win. | Launching the action, he insisted that the "simple sword of truth" would help him win. |
But the case collapsed in 1997 and Mr Aitken was later found guilty of perjury and perverting the course of justice in 1999. | |
He served almost seven months of his 18-month sentence before being released in January 2000. | |
Former Tory leader Mr Duncan Smith will formally unveil the appointment on Monday. | |
'Direct experience' | 'Direct experience' |
Nick Wood, media adviser to the Centre for Social Justice, told the BBC: "There was a personal rehabilitation for Jonathan Aitken during his time in jail. | |
"He has written about this, he has talked about it and he has campaigned for prison reform." | |
Explaining Mr Duncan Smith's thinking, he said: "One of the things that Iain is keen on is that people leading political groups should have some direct experience of the subjects they are working on. | |
"I think Jonathan Aitken certainly has the experience of jail and he has shown a great deal of thought and interest in it since." | "I think Jonathan Aitken certainly has the experience of jail and he has shown a great deal of thought and interest in it since." |
Peter Preston, who edited the Guardian at the time of the court case, told BBC 5 Live that Mr Aitken's appointment could send out the wrong signals. | |
"Basically, had we lost on all that false testimony, we would have been out as an organisation well over £1m in damages and legal costs." | |
A Conservative Party spokeswoman said: "The CSJ and the Conservative Party aretwo separate entities and they make their appointments independently. | |
"The CSJ has done some excellent work for us in the past and we look forwardto seeing more of their findings in due course." |