Huhne falls victim to another secret microphone

The vultures appear to be circling closer and closer to Chris Huhne — does he have enough strength to shoo them away? After all, he was already diminished by last weekend’s claims about his delinquent motoring practices. Today, he is diminished further still. Both the Mail on Sunday and the Sunday Times (£) have published extracts from a taped conversation between the Energy Secretary and an unnamed someone who is alleged to have taken the fall for his speeding tickets. “There is no evidence for this story,” says Huhne in one extract, “unless you give it some legs by saying something.” Another crucial exchange appears to be this one:

“When [Huhne] briefly comments: ‘There’s no question of it coming out, because it’s simply not true, that’s it,’ the other person is believed to react with shock, saying: ‘I’m sorry, what? Why are you suddenly saying that?'”

Questions abound, not least how this conversation was taped, thereby confirming Huhne’s suspicion that, “I really don’t think it is sensible to have these sorts of conversations on the phone.” But surely it is unquestionable that the Energy Minister will now have to respond to these allegations personally. If he doesn’t, then his political career — let alone his crumbling designs upon the Lib Dem leadership — may be over by default. And such timing too; just when the polls are stacked heavily against Nick Clegg, and some Lib Dems are turning mutinous after their humiliation in the recent elections.

Meanwhile, as we’re talking scandal, there’s the possibility that the IMF might lose its boss and France a presidential candidate. Apply all the usual standards about innocence, proof and guilt, of course, but Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been implicated in this.