Jailbird Tory Jonathan Aitken set for return to politics – looking at prison reform

The man jailed for 18 months in 1999 for perjury said it was a "cause dear to my heart, for obvious reasons".

Mr Aitken, 65, is to head a policy group for the independent think tank the Centre for Social Justice, which advises David Cameron on social issues.

He said that "poachers sometimes made useful gamekeepers.

Asked if he was making a political comeback, he replied: "No, and I don't ever expect to. I made a bad mistake - I paid a heavy price for it and I expect to go on paying a price for it."

Mr Aitken is the only former Cabinet minister to have been jailed for more than 100 years.

He resigned as Chief Secretary to the Treasury so he could sue the Guardian over allegations that a Saudi businessman had paid for him to stay at the Paris Ritz, in breach of ministerial rules.

Launching the action, he notoriously insisted that the "simple sword of truth" would ensure that he won.

But in the end, he was convicted of "calculated perjury" and a "gross and inexcusable breach of trust" for asking his daughter Victoria, then 16, to sign a false witness statement on his behalf.

Mr Aitken claims to have since undergone a spiritual journey and has become an impassioned campaigner for prison reform.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith - who runs the think tank and will formally unveil the unpaid appointment today - said it was time to rehabilitate Mr Aitken.

"Everybody deserves a second chance - that is the whole philosophy of the Centre for Social Justice.

"I am a profound believer in never writing people off. We are now using Jonathan's experience as a way of getting the most from him."

A Conservative Party spokesman said: "The CSJ and the Conservative Party are two separate entities and they make their appointments independently.

"The CSJ has done some excellent work for us in the past and we look forward to seeing more of its findings in due course."

Nick Wood, spokesman for the CSJ, said: "There was a personal rehabilitation for Jonathan Aitken during his time in jail.

"He has written about this, he has talked about it and he has campaigned for prison reform.

"One of the things that Iain is keen on is that people leading political groups should have some direct experience of the subjects they are working on.

"I think Jonathan Aitken certainly has the experience of jail and he has shown a great deal of thought and interest in it since."

Labour whip Tom Watson said: "This is a return to the disgraced, scandal-ridden Tory past. What can we expect next from the Tories?

"David Cameron should go all the way, bring in Jeffrey Archer to run a truth and reconciliation committee, draft in Neil Hamilton to advise him on parliamentary modernisation and scrutiny, and bring in Shirley Porter to overhaul his housing policy."