Jonathan William Patrick Aitken (born 30 August 1942) is a former Conservative Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom, and British government minister. Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located He was convicted of perjury in 1999 and received an 18-month prison sentence, of which he served seven months. Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under Oath or Affirmation in a

Personal details

He was born in Dublin to Sir William Aitken (himself a Conservative MP) and Penelope Aitken, daughter of John Maffey, 1st Baron Rugby. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. You may be looking for Bill Aitken. Sir William Traven Aitken, KBE ( 10 June, 1905 &ndash 19 January Penelope Loader Lady Aitken, MBE ( 2 December 1910 &ndash 7 February 2005) styled The Hon John Loader Maffey 1st Baron Rugby, GCMG, KCB, KCVO, CSI, CIE ( 1 July 1877 &ndash 20 April, He is a great-nephew of newspaper magnate and war-time minister Lord Beaverbrook. William Maxwell "Max" Aitken 1st Baron Beaverbrook Bt He attended Eton College and read law at Christ Church, Oxford. Eton College, or just Eton, is a world-famous British Independent school for boys founded in 1440 by King Henry VI. Not to be confused with Christchurch, a city in New Zealand. Christ Church (Ædes Christi the temple or house of Christ and thus sometimes known as He served as a war correspondent during the 1960s in Vietnam and Biafra, and has written a biography of Richard Nixon. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially The Republic of Biafra was a Secessionist state in south-eastern Nigeria. He was also a journalist at Yorkshire Television from 1968 to 1970, presenting the regional news show Calendar. Yorkshire Television is the ITV contractor for the Yorkshire franchise Calendar is the local news programme for ITV Yorkshire (formerly Yorkshire Television (YTV

His sister is the actress Maria Aitken and his nephew is the actor Jack Davenport. Maria Aitken (born 12 September 1945) is a British actress and director Jack Davenport (born March 1[[ 973]] is a British film and television Actor who became known in the mid 1990s for his role in the TV series This His god-children include James Abbott, the son of Labour left-winger Diane Abbott. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Diane Julie Abbott (born 27 September 1953 in Paddington, London, England) is a British Labour Party Member of Parliament

First criminal trial

In 1971 Aitken was prosecuted at the Old Bailey for breaching the Official Secrets Act when he photocopied the Scott Report, a document about the British government's supply of arms to Nigeria, and sent a copy to the Sunday Telegraph. The Central Criminal Court in England, commonly known as the Old Bailey, is a court The Official Secrets Act is any of several Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the protection of official information mainly related to National The Sunday Telegraph is a British Broadsheet newspaper, founded in 1961 He was acquitted, but his first attempt to be elected to Parliament failed as a result. ^[1]

Backbench career

He was elected as MP for Thanet East in the 1974 General Election; from 1983 he sat for South Thanet. Thanet East was a British parliamentary constituency in the Isle of Thanet, in Kent. Results |} Total votes 31321982 All parties are shown The seats won by the Ulster Unionists are compared with those won by Unionist MPs in the 1970 election South Thanet is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. A notably handsome man, he managed to offend Margaret Thatcher by ending a relationship with her daughter, Carol Thatcher, and suggesting that Thatcher "probably thinks Sinai is the plural of Sinus" to an Egyptian newspaper. Margaret Hilda Thatcher Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925 Carol Thatcher (born 15 August 1953 is a British Journalist and the daughter of the late Sir Denis Thatcher Bt and Baroness Thatcher, The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai ( Coptic: sina; Egyptian Arabic: sina سينا Arabic, sina'a سيناء He stayed on the backbenches throughout Thatcher's premiership and engaged in a number of activities, including participation in the re-launch of TV-am (where he was involved in an incident in which broadcaster Anna Ford threw her wine at him to express her outrage at both his behaviour and the unwelcome consequent transformation of the station). TV-am was a Breakfast television station that broadcast to the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 to 31 December 1992. Anna Ford (born 2 October 1943 in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire) is a retired English Journalist and Television presenter, best known He was eventually offered membership of the Hurlingham Club when he became Minister of State for Defence Procurement under John Major in 1992. The Hurlingham Club is an exclusive sports club in Fulham in southwest London, England, frequented by the Social elite. Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a Parliamentary system. The Defence Procurement Agency ( DPA) was an Executive Agency of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence responsible for the acquisition of Sir John Major KG CH ACIB (born 29 March 1943 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar)

Cabinet membership

He became Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 1994, a Cabinet position, but resigned in 1995, to defend himself against accusations that whilst serving as Minister of State for Defence Procurement he violated ministerial rules by allowing an Arab businessman to pay for his stay in the Paris Ritz. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the second most senior ministerial position in HM Treasury, after the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) In the Politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body composed of the most senior government ministers chosen by the Prime Minister Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 The Hôtel Ritz is a Hotel located at 15 Place Vendôme, in the heart of Paris, France.

Libel action

On 10 April 1995, The Guardian carried a front-page report on Aitken's dealings with leading Saudis. Events 879 - Louis III becomes King of the Western Franks. 1407 - the lama Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. The story was the result of a long investigation carried out by journalists from the newspaper and from Granada TV's World In Action programme. Granada Television is the United Kingdom ITV contractor for North West England. World in Action was a current affairs series produced by Granada Television in the United Kingdom in the 25 years from 1963 to By 5 o'clock that evening, Aitken had called a press conference at the Conservative Party offices in Smith Square, London, denouncing the reports and demanding that the World In Action programme, due to be screened three hours later, withdraw them. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Smith Square is a square located in Westminster, part of the City of Westminster in London, which is notable for St John's Smith Square, the London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

During this press conference, Aitken made his notorious speech:

"If it falls to me to start a fight to cut out the cancer of bent and twisted journalism in our country with the simple sword of truth and the trusty shield of British fair play, so be it. I am ready for the fight. The fight against falsehood and those who peddle it. My fight begins today. Thank you and good afternoon. "^[2]

The World In Action film, Jonathan of Arabia, went ahead and Aitken carried out his threat to sue. The action collapsed in June 1997 (a month after he had lost his seat in the 1997 General Election) when the Guardian and Granada produced evidence countering his claim that his wife, Lolicia Aitken, paid for the hotel stay. Results The election was fought under new boundaries with a net increase of eight seats compared to the 1992 election The evidence consisted of airline vouchers and other documents showing that his wife had, in fact, been in Switzerland at the time when she had allegedly been at the Ritz in Paris. The joint Guardian/Granada investigation indicated an arms deal scam involving Aitken's friend and business partner, the Lebanese businessman Mohammed Said Ayas, a close associate of Prince Mohammed of Saudi Arabia. Mohammad bin Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud (الأمير محمد بن فهد بن عبدالعزيز السعود was born in Riyadh in January 1951 It was alleged that Aitken had been prepared to have his teenage daughter Victoria lie under oath to support his version of events had the case continued. ^[3]

A few days after the libel case collapsed, World In Action broadcast a special edition, which echoed Aitken's "sword of truth" speech. It was entitled The Dagger of Deceit.

Perjury conviction and subsequent imprisonment

Aitken was charged with perjury and perverting the course of justice, and in 1999 was jailed for 18 months, of which he served seven. Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under Oath or Affirmation in a In English or Irish Law, perversion of the course of justice is a criminal offence in which someone acts in a manner that in some way prevents Justice During the preceding libel trial, his wife Lolicia, who later left him, was called as a witness to sign a supportive affidavit to the effect that she had paid his Paris hotel bill, but did not appear. In the end, with the case already in court, investigative work by Guardian reporters into Swiss hotel and British Airways records showed that neither his daughter nor his wife had been in Paris at the time in question. British Airways plc ( is the national Airline and Flag carrier of the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe

Aitken was unable to cover the legal costs of his libel trial and was declared bankrupt. As part of the bankruptcy, his trustees settled legal actions against the magazine Private Eye, over the various claims it had made that Aitken was a "serial liar". Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical Magazine, edited by Ian Hislop. He also became one of the few people to resign from the Privy Council (another such person was John Stonehouse). Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. John Thomson Stonehouse ( 28 July 1925 - 14 April 1988) was a British Politician and minister under Harold Wilson

Aitken's wife and three daughters -- Victoria and Alexandra Aitken, and Petrina Khashoggi -- turned up to support him when he was sentenced. Petrina was a previously unacknowledged daughter by Soraya Khashoggi, ex-wife of arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi. Adnan Khashoggi (or Kashoggi) (عدنان خاشقجي (born 25 July 1935 in Mecca) is a former Billionaire On DNA testing at the age of 18, she had turned out to be Aitken's, though Khashoggi had previously accepted her as his own.

In 1993 Aitken published a favourable biography, Nixon: A Life, of former US President Richard Nixon. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Although his was not an authorised biography, Aitken was one of the few biographers from whom Nixon accepted questions and to whom he granted interviews.

Prison stay

During his stay in prison, Aitken claimed to have rediscovered the Bible, learned Greek, and became a student of Christian theology at Oxford University. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Christian Theology is discourse concerning Christian faith Christian theologians use biblical Exegesis, rational analysis and argument The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the This part of his life is covered in two autobiographical works called Pride and Perjury and Porridge and Passion. He married his second wife, Elizabeth Harris, in June 2003. Joan Elizabeth Rees-Williams The Hon Mrs Aitken (born 1 May 1936) is a Welsh Socialite. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.

He gave a talk called "I Want to Break Free" at Holy Trinity Brompton in January 2006 where Nicky Gumbel described him as a "great friend"[1]. Holy Trinity Brompton ("HTB" is an Anglican church in Brompton, London, UK. Nicholas (Nicky Glyn Paul Gumbel (born 28 April 1955 in London) is an Ordained Anglican Priest, Vicar

Have I Got News For You

After serving his prison sentence, Aitken appeared on an episode of the BBC satirical quiz show Have I Got News For You. Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human A quiz is a form of Game or mind sport in which the players (as individuals or in teams attempt to answer questions correctly Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. During this appearance, Ian Hislop produced a letter confirming Aitken's bankruptcy and announced that Aitken owed Hislop's magazine (Private Eye) over £13,000. Ian David Hislop (born 13 July 1960) is an British Comedian, Scriptwriter and Editor of satirical magazine Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical Magazine, edited by Ian Hislop. The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency

Political comebacks

In early 2004, some constituency party members in Aitken's former seat of South Thanet proposed that he should return as Conservative candidate for the seat. South Thanet is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. This was vetoed by Conservative Party leader Michael Howard^[4]

Aitken later confirmed that he would not attempt a return to Parliament, saying that "the leader has spoken. Michael Howard QC (born 7 July 1941 is a British Politician, a Conservative MP since the 1983 General Election for the constituency of The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories I accept his judgement with good grace. " He denied rumours he was to stand as an independent candidate insisting that he was not a "spoiler".

Aitken later declared his support for the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP)^[5] a week before the party's strong performance in the 2004 European elections. The United Kingdom Independence Party (commonly known as UKIP, ˈjuːkɪp England Scotland and Wales Turnout for all the regions was 37 Elections to the European Parliament were held from 10 June 2004 to 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according On October 2, 2004, Aitken attended the (UKIP) conference and re-iterated his support for the party. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "

Ashley Merry, Veritas Party Defence spokesman, is public relations advisor to Aitken. Veritas ( Latin: "Truth" is a Political party in the United Kingdom, formed in February 2005 by politician-celebrity Robert Kilroy-Silk Public relations (PR is the practice of managing the flow of Information between an Organization and its Publics Public relations - often referred

In November 2007, with the approval of senior members of the shadow cabinet, he took charge of a task force on prison reform within Iain Duncan Smith's Centre for Social Justice to help formulate Conservative policy^[6]. The Shadow Cabinet (also called the Shadow Front Bench) is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside Prisons aiming at a more effective Penal system. George Iain Duncan Smith, PC, MP, (born 9 April 1954 is a British politician The Centre for Social Justice is a centre right British political thinktank set up by Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of the Conservative Party to concentrate Aitken stated this was not part of a political comeback. Conservative spokesmen pointed out that the task force is independent of the party, even though the organisation is run by Iain Duncan Smith, who is a former Tory leader. George Iain Duncan Smith, PC, MP, (born 9 April 1954 is a British politician

In April 2008, The Observer's diary reported that Aitken is writing a biography of the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, with the president's cooperation^[7]. Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( Kazakh: Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев æbəʃʊˈlɯ nɑzɑrˈbɑjəf Russian: Нурсултан

External links and references

• Guardian Special Report – The Aitken Affair
  • The Outrageous Cant of Jonathan Aitken and His Friends. By the Man Who Started the Story summary by Peter Preston from The Guardian
• BBC News Jonathan Aitken - a 'swashbuckling' life profile, December 7, 1998
• Interview with Jonathan at Premier.tv
• An evening with Jonathan Aitken – Aitken tells the story of his perjury and walk of faith to an audience at St George's Church in Leeds, UK. St George's is a Church of England Parish based in the city centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The talk is available as a podcast. Follow the listen again links to iTunes or search any podcast directory for St George's Church.
• Jonathan Aitken at the Internet Movie Database
• Aitken, Jonathan, "Pride and Perjury", HarperCollins, London, 2000, ISBN 0-00-274075-3
• Luke Harding, David Leigh and David Pallister (1997), The Liar: The Fall of Jonathan Aitken, London: Penguin Books Ltd.
• Aitken, Jonathan, Prayers for people under pressure. 2008, Crossway Books. ISBN 978-1-4335-0131-9