Jailed Huhne 'in good spirits'

Disgraced former MP Chris Huhne is "absolutely fine and in good spirits", his partner has said, quashing rumours that the former Cabinet minister was being bullied in prison.

Carina Trimingham said claims that Huhne was ridiculed on his first day in Wandsworth prison and had asked to be moved to a wing for vulnerable prisoners were "complete and utter nonsense".

Ms Trimingham, who has visited the 58-year-old, said: "He is getting on well both with inmates and officers and he is absolutely fine and in good spirits."

Former Cabinet minister Huhne and his ex-wife Vicky Pryce were both jailed for eight months on Monday for perverting the course of justice when she took speeding points for him a decade ago.

It was reported that Huhne was mocked on his first day in jail when a warder called him to breakfast shouting "Order! Order!" over a tannoy, and had been moved to a wing for vulnerable prisoners because other convicts humiliated and bullied him.

Ms Trimingham, 46, explained how she got a parking ticket during her visit to the south-west London prison.

She said she turned up at 7am to see Huhne for what she thought was a one-hour visit at 8am, but was allowed two-and a half hours with him as it was an "induction visit" - available to every inmate when their receive their first visitor.

"I arrived at 7am, got to see him at 8am, and didn't leave until after 10.30am. You can't park there between 10 and 11 so I got a ticket."

Of the claims about Huhne's experiences so far in jail, she said: "It's complete and utter nonsense, there's not a grain of truth in it."

She said when she had spoken to the former Cabinet minister about the rumours, he had said: "I can't believe it, nothing could be further from the truth."