Mea culpa as family man Chris Huhne prepares the ground for a public comeback Despite Huhne's admission of his crime, supporters paid tribute to him. Lord Oakeshott, the Lib Dem peer, described him as "a dynamic, decisive, strategic minister," praising his "laser brain and stout heart." Mike Thornton, who replaced Huhne as MP for Eastleigh, said: "Let us not forget his outstanding service as secretary of state for energy and climate change, driving our transition to a green economy while also playing an internationally recognised role regarding fighting climate change." Lord Ashdown, the former Lib Dem leader said Huhne's political career was over, but added: "I don't say he can't return to public life. He can in some form in no doubt, after a decent period of which I think an important part will be silence and reflection. In a Channel Four interview, Huhne said he wanted to apologise for his actions. "The most important message I wanted to get across is really to say sorry to my family, friends, colleagues and constituents," he said. There is also a lot of hurt that I inflicted on my family and my ex-wife, which explains some of the behaviour that has gone on since, and I'm very sorry for that as well. He said that he had changed his plea to guilty "to spare some of the bloodiness in terms of the family." Other politicians to have been recently jailed include Jonathan Aitken and Lord Archer. Neither has returned to front-line politics, but both are active in public life. Huhne hinted that he was optimistic about his prospects. We will have to see what the future holds, but I will hope for the best.