Vicky Pryce, 60, of Crescent Grove, Clapham, south London, was found guilty by a jury of seven men and five women today after a retrial at Southwark Crown Court.

Former energy secretary Huhne pleaded guilty last month to perverting the course of justice by passing his points to Pryce in 2003, ending his political career. Both now face jail.

Pryce looked open-mouthed in shock as the foreman told the court the jury, which retired at 3pm on Tuesday, had reached a unanimous guilty verdict.

Judge Mr Justice Sweeney granted Pryce bail until sentencing, a date for which has not been set, when he will also sentence Huhne.

He told the economist, as he had told Huhne, to be under no illusion of what sentence to expect.

"Obviously Ms Pryce was present when I indicated to Mr Huhne the inevitable consequences of a conviction for an offence of this sort.

"She must be under no illusions that my granting of bail indicates any watering down of that provisional approach."

He thanked the jury for discharging their task "assiduously" in a case which could not have been easy.

Assistant Chief Constable Gary Beautridge, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, which investigated the offence, said: "The conviction of Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce has been achieved through the thorough and steadfast investigation conducted by officers and specialist staff at Essex and Kent Police.

"Perverting the course of justice is a serious offence.

"We hope this conviction serves as a timely reminder to motorists who try and avoid driving bans by 'giving' their points to others.

"This practice is not only unlawful, but has life changing consequences for those who get caught flouting the rules."

A jury in Pryce's original trial failed to reach a verdict, demonstrating what were described as a deficiencies in understanding, sparking a retrial.

The allegations date back to 2003, when Huhne's black BMW was clocked speeding on the way back from Stansted Airport as the then-MEP travelled back from Strasbourg.

Huhne already had nine points on his licence and risked a ban, something he feared would ruin his chances of being nominated as the Lib Dem candidate for Eastleigh, Hampshire.

Pryce said he made her take the points, waving a pen at her forcing her to sign a form.

Huhne, now 58, lost his licence anyway later that year for another offence but went on to be nominated as the Lib Dem candidate for Eastleigh, winning the seat in 2005.

The allegation about the points-swapping became public in May 2011 when it was published in two Sunday newspapers - nearly a year after Huhne ended his 26-year marriage to Pryce.

He confessed to an affair with PR adviser Carina Trimingham in June 2010 during half-time of a World Cup football match, after learning he was about to be exposed.

To seek revenge, Pryce - with the help of lawyer and part-time judge Constance Briscoe - embarked on a press campaign to "nail" Huhne.

Briscoe has since been arrested and was dropped from the case as a witness after it emerged she lied to police about her dealings with the press.

The women first approached the Mail on Sunday, falsely claiming Huhne had passed points to constituency aide Jo White.

Pryce went on to reveal the story to Sunday Times political editor Isabel Oakeshott in March 2011 and the women discussed how to "nail" Huhne.

The revelations that Huhne had passed points to "somebody" ran in both the Sunday Times and Mail on Sunday on May 8 2011 and as the story snowballed, it emerged it was Pryce.

Huhne and Pryce were arrested, and in February last year were charged with perverting the course of justice.

Huhne, then energy secretary, stepped down from the Cabinet, vowing to fight the charges.

But when lengthy attempts by his legal team to get the case thrown out failed, he changed his plea on the first day of trial, resigning as Eastleigh MP, ending his once-promising political career.

During her trial Pryce, a mother-of-five, told the court her ex-husband prioritised his political ambitions throughout their marriage, forcing her to compromise her own career.

She revealed in court that Huhne demanded she have an abortion in 1990 because it would be bad for his career, but she went on to resist the same demands two years later, giving birth to their youngest child.

Pryce, who was given glowing testimonials from figures including former head of MI6 Sir John Scarlett, said she had been left fragile by her break-up, and wanted to expose Huhne's wrongdoing, but not ruin his career.

Her barrister Julian Knowles QC said the prosecution description of her as a "tough, armour-plated career woman" was false.

But prosecutor Andrew Edis QC said Pryce was a capable, manipulative and intelligent woman who acted of her own free will.

Pryce's solicitor, Robert Brown, made a statement on her behalf outside the court.

He said: "Mrs Pryce is naturally very disappointed to have been convicted.

"She would like to thank all those who have supported her during this difficult process, particularly her children, her friends and colleagues.

"Mrs Pryce will return to court to be sentenced in due course.

"No further comment will be made until this is completed."

Malcolm McHaffie, deputy head of special crime at the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Perverting the course of justice is a serious matter and the system relies on people being truthful to police.

"It is important that everyone should act within the law - whoever they are.

"Chris Huhne made sustained challenges against the prosecution before pleading guilty at the last minute.

"This was expensive for the CPS and we will be applying for costs.

"I would like to thank my prosecution team for the professional way that they have dealt with this case throughout."

Nearly a decade ago, Chris Huhne and then wife Vicky Pryce lied about which one of them had incurred three penalty points in Huhne's BMW.

After years of lies, Huhne finally admitted the offence, while his former wife stood trial, claiming that although she took the points, he forced her into it.

Here is how the extraordinary case unfolded:

2003 March 12: Huhne, then a Member of the European Parliament, is returning home to Clapham, south London, from Stansted Airport when his BMW, registration H11HNE, is clocked speeding in Essex.

At the time he is working to be nominated as the Lib Dem candidate for the Eastleigh seat in Hampshire.

March 25: A Notice of Intended Prosecution form is sent by Essex Police to Huhne as the registered keeper of the car, requiring him to confirm whether he was the driver or someone else.

March 28: Huhne is caught using his mobile phone whilst driving by police on the Old Kent Road.

April 23: Essex Police receive the returned form from Huhne, indicating Pryce was the driver.

May 1: A second form is sent to Vicky Pryce by Essex Police.

May 7: Police receive the second form, which confirms Pryce was the driver. She later receives three penalty points.

October 31: Huhne receives a driving ban for the Old Kent Road incident.

2005 May: Huhne wins the Eastleigh seat, becoming an MP, and is appointed Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman, dealing with tax and public spending.

2006 January: Within months of arriving at Westminster he stands for the Lib Dem party leadership against veteran Sir Menzies Campbell, who beats him into second place.

March: Huhne is appointed party spokesman for environment, food and rural affairs.

2007 October: Huhne bids to lead the party again but is beaten by current leader Nick Clegg by 511 votes after a bitterly contested fight.

December: He is appointed Lib Dem home affairs spokesman.

2010 May: Huhne joins the coalition Government Cabinet, being appointed Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

June: His affair with his PR adviser Carina Trimingham is exposed, ending his 26-year marriage to Vicky Pryce.

September: Pryce meets Sunday Times political editor Isabel Oakeshott at the Lib Dem party conference.

November: Pryce meets with Andrew Alderson to discuss giving the points-swapping story to the Mail on Sunday, originally claiming it was Huhne's constituency aide Jo White who took the points, which is later found to be untrue. The story does not run.

2011 March 1: Pryce tells Ms Oakeshott about the points-swapping over lunch, and email conversations afterwards discuss their plans for the story.

April: Pryce records four calls to Huhne in an unsuccessful attempt to get him to admit to passing his points to her.

May 8: The Sunday Times and Mail on Sunday report allegations that Huhne asked someone to take his speeding points in 2003. He denies the claims. It later emerges that "someone" was Pryce.

May 13: Labour MP Simon Danczuk makes a formal complaint to police about the allegations.

May 16: Detective Superintendent Tim Wills, of Essex Police, says the claims will be reviewed before a formal investigation is launched.

Huhne dismisses the allegations as "simply incorrect", while Prime Minister David Cameron says he has full confidence in him.

May 24: Huhne and Pryce are questioned by police.

June 21: Police seize a mobile phone from Peter Huhne, looking for a text exchange between him and his father about the points.

September 21: Huhne speaks of his "enormous regret" at the bitter break-up of his marriage, telling a fringe event at the Lib Dem conference in Birmingham that he apologised to his ex-wife over the split but she refused to forgive him.

2012 February 3: Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer announces that Huhne and Pryce will be charged with perverting the course of justice.

Huhne stands down from Government, but vows to fight the accusation.

February 16: Huhne and Pryce make their first appearance in court at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

March 2: The former couple appear at Southwark, where it emerges the ex-energy secretary has hired Harry Redknapp's legal team.

June 1: Pryce pleads not guilty to the charge and the court hears she is planning a defence of marital coercion. No plea is entered by Huhne.

October 5: The trial is adjourned for legal reasons until January 14. It is later pushed back further.

2013 February 4: On the first day of their trial, Huhne changes his plea to guilty. It can be reported that he had tried to get the case thrown out - both through an application to stay the proceedings as an abuse of process of the court, as well as an application to dismiss the case. Both were rejected.

After his guilty plea, Huhne resigns as MP for Eastleigh, sparking a by-election.

February 5: Pryce's trial begins at Southwark Crown Court.

February 20: The jury is discharged after failing to reach a verdict.

February 25: Pryce's retrial begins at Southwark Crown Court.

March 7: Pryce is found guilty of perverting the course of justice.