Nearly half of Brits think that Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Chris Huhne should resign due to a police investigation currently taking place into the allegations regarding a speeding offence from 2003, our poll has found.
According to recent reports, the Liberal Democrat cabinet minister allegedly asked someone else to say they were driving his car in order to avoid receiving penalty points on his driving license. Almost a third of Brits say that Huhne’s resignation is not necessary, while nearly as many say they are not sure.
- 49% of British adults think that Huhne should resign as a result of the allegations
- 29% disagree
- 23% say that they don’t know
- Lib Dems are much less condemnatory than supporters of the other parties, with 48% saying that Huhne doesn’t need to resign, compared to 32% of Conservatives and just 25% of Labour supporters
Earlier this week police announced plans to investigate the case, and to ascertain whether Huhne did indeed ask someone else to take penalty points in his stead. The allegations came to light after Huhne’s ex-wife claimed he had ‘pressurised’ others to shoulder the blame. Detective Superintendent Tim Wills announced: ‘There are many lines of inquiry to be taken, and the team are still working to establish if an offence has been committed’.
Huhne has repeatedly denied the claims, saying that they ‘have been shown to be untrue’. Fellow cabinet minister Kenneth Clarke –himself in no small amount of hot water this week– has supported Huhne, stating that the cabinet has not discussed the issue, because there is ‘no reason to doubt’ the accused minister’s denial. Huhne himself added, ‘I think the police can get to the bottom of this’.
