It started with a traffic ticket. It ended in political exile.

Former British Cabinet minister Chris Huhne has pleaded guilty to the charge of obstruction of justice over a convoluted attempt to pin a speeding penalty on his wife.

Prosecutors say Huhne in 2003 persuaded economist Vicky Pryce to say she had been driving the car, so he could avoid a driving ban.

Huhne denied wrongdoing, but he was forced to step down as a minister after being charged. His career in shambles, an emotionless Huhne pleaded guilty at London's Southwark Crown Court on Monday.

Pryce's taking the heat for her husband did not save their marriage. The pair split in 2010 after it was revealed he had an affair with his public relations adviser.