THE former Chief Inspector of Prisons intervened in an attempt to get Jonathan Aitken moved to a “softer” prison so that he could be closer to his son at Eton College, the former head of the Prison Service said last night.

Sir David Ramsbotham’s intervention was disclosed last night only days after he categorically denied having anything to do with the attempt to persuade prison authorities to transfer the jailed former Cabinet minister from a prison in Kent to one near Aylesbury.

In a statement last night Martin Narey, the former Director-General of the Prison Service, contradicted Sir David’s claim in The Times on Monday that he had “nothing to do” with an attempt by an influential friend of Mr Aitken’s to transfer him. Mr Narey’s attack reflects his fury at allegations made in Sir David’s book serialised in The Times this week.

Sir David said in an interview with The Times on Monday that he had been approached by people seeking his help to move Mr Aitken. He said: “I refused to have anything to do with that. I said it was absolutely nothing to do with me. I couldn’t begin to get involved with that. I know where he wanted to go and he didn’t go there.”

Mr Narey said: “Neither a chief inspector, nor a director-general can possibly favour individual members of staff nor individual prisoners. I was occasionally irritated by David’s behaviour in this respect.Contrary to his insistence that he refused to have anything to do with arranging a safer prison for Jonathan Aitken, he wrote to me enclosing representations from an influential mutual colleague.”

Sir David admitted last night that he had intervened by passing on the call. He said that there were a number of factors behind it and that he hoped Mr Narey was not accusing him of being a liar.

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