Ait ‧ ken, Jon ‧ a ‧ than /ˈeɪtkən, ˈeɪtkɪn, ˈdʒɒnəθ ə n $ ˈdʒɑːn-/ BrE AmE
(1942–) a British Conservative politician who was forced to leave his job in the Cabinet in 1994. He had been ↑ accuse d of letting an Arab ↑ businessman pay for his stay at the Ritz Hotel in Paris when he was Minister of State for Defence Procurement. Aitken ↑ sue d The Guardian newspaper and Granada Television who had made this ↑ accusation , but it was discovered that he had lied in court and he was sent to prison. After leaving prison, he wanted to return to politics, but Michael Howard, the leader of the Conservative Party, did not allow him to do this.