Pryce backed Huhne ambitions despite knowing he had pushed points on to her, court told The ex-wife of Chris Huhne said today she believed that the disgraced MP could have become a good deputy Prime Minister when she backed his bid for leadership of the Liberal Democrats despite knowing he had committed a crime. Vicky Pryce, 60, told her trial that the family had backed his two shots for the leadership of the party and believed that he had the ability to do the job. Ms Pryce told the seven men and five women that she had supported his ambitions despite knowing that he had passed his speeding points to her to avoid a driving ban in 2003. She accepts taking the points but denies perverting the course of justice claiming the defence of "marital coercion." Ms Pryce, of Clapham, south London, claims that she had no choice but to take the points on behalf of a bullying husband. "The kind of man who bullies his wife into committing a crime because it's convenient: Do you think that that's the sort of man who would be suitable to be deputy Prime Minister of this country?" said Andrew Edis, QC, counsel for the prosecution. Ms Pryce replied: "At the time... I thought he could actually make a very good deputy Prime Minister." The story of the points came to light only after the break-up of the couple's marriage in 2010 when his affair was about to be exposed with an aide, Carina Trimingham. The court heard that she sought her revenge by passing the details of her husband's driving offence to newspapers while seeking to avoid prosecution herself. Mr Edis said that she and a friend, barrister Constance Briscoe, sought to ensure in negotiations with newspapers that she would avoid prosecution by highlighting the pressure on her to take the points. "You and her have cooked up a dishonest defence for you, that's right?" said Mr Edis. Ms Pryce responded: "No, it's not right." Huhne has pleaded guilty to the same sentence and stepped down as MP for Eastleigh sparking yesterday's by-election. He will be sentenced at a later date. The case continues.