Jonathan aitken bio

By William Milne

On a late Monday afternoon in December, I rang the doorbell of the Kensington home of Jonathan Aitken, the high-flying politician turned vilified prisoner turned redeemed priest.

Warmly welcomed in, I waited in Aitken’s study, surrounded by a wonderful array of books, touching on everything from the theological to the historical to the biographical.

Jonathan aitken carol thatcher

I clumsily set up the recording equipment and Aitken soon entered the room, wearing his dog collar, a symbol of his new life as an ordained minister, something no one would have foreseen 25 years ago when he was Britain’s most despised politician.

Aitken was warm and generous with his time, and before the interview we discussed how utterly stunning Durham is, and how he would like to visit. Soon we were sat down, with a cup of tea, and we started discussing Jonathan Aitken the politician.

Aitken’s motives for becoming a politician were twofold: he wanted to follow in the footsteps of a family dedicated to “public ser