Spiritual resurrection of politician who was buried by a lie under oath

WHEN he launched his famous libel action in 1997, Jonathan Aitken was proud, haughty and self-righteous: “If it falls to me to start a fight to cut out the cancer of bent and twisted journalism in our country with the simple sword of truth and the trusty shield of British fair play, so be it.”

A grandnephew of the press baron Lord Beaverbrook, he had led a privileged life. His promotion to John Major's cabinet led to speculation that he might be a future prime minister.

But The Guardian newspaper, and two subsequent World in Action documentaries, alleged that he had been a pimp for wealthy Arabs, been involved in murky financial deals, violated ministerial rules and had covered up his connections with prominent Saudis.