Freed Pryce returns to advise Cable

The former civil servant is attending meetings of Business Secretary Vince Cable’s panel monitoring the performance of UK plc.

A source close to Mr Cable stressed the role was unpaid, and Ms Pryce’s conviction was not relevant to her economics expertise. He is understood to believe that she should be allowed to move on after being punished.

“Vicky Pryce was appointed to the monitoring the economy panel over 10 years ago when, at the time, she was chief economist at the DTI,” the source said. “She has now resumed her unpaid position as part of this panel after serving her sentence, which in no way brought into question her ability or judgment as an economist.”