Today's announcement that Energy Secretary will face charges over speeding allegations could mark a turning point in his political career.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decision will bring to a head the saga that began nearly nine years ago, before Mr Huhne was a member of the Cabinet.

He was an MEP when his car was allegedly caught by a speed camera on March 12 2003.

He has consistently denied claims he was the one behind the wheel and that then-wife Vicky Pryce admitted the offence, as he would have faced a ban if he collected any more penalty points.

Mr Huhne is alleged to have been returning from Stansted Airport to his home in Clapham, south London, on the day in question, having flown in from Strasbourg, where the European Parliament sits.

Images have since emerged of Ms Pryce's driving licence, indicating that she received three points for a speeding offence in the Essex area on March 12 2003.

However, she is believed to have later said she was actually at an event in London that day.

Police started investigating the matter when it was claimed in a Sunday Times interview with Ms Pryce last May that her ex-husband asked "someone" to take speeding points on his behalf in 2003 to avoid losing his licence.

It later emerged that she was apparently the "someone" concerned.

The newspaper interview followed the couple's split in 2010, when Mr Huhne announced he was leaving his then wife for his current partner, PR advisor Carina Trimingham.

Mr Huhne and Ms Pryce had been married for 26 years and had three children and two step-children together.

After the speeding allegations arose, the Eastleigh MP said in a statement that the claims were "simply incorrect" and had previously "been shown to be untrue".

Labour MP Simon Danczuk lodged a formal complaint with Essex Police after the Sunday Times allegations came to light and the force's investigation into the matter was launched.

Both Mr Huhne and Ms Pryce were interviewed by detectives before the case was handed to the CPS for them to decide if they should press criminal charges.