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February 4, 2013

Andrew Mitchell: I was caught between the pincers of the police and the media

By Dominic Ponsford

Former Conservative Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell said the manner of his departure from office was “like the Leveson Inquiry had never happened”.

 

One of  Lord Justice Leveson’s remits was to investigate the relationship between police and press.

In September, The Sun ran a front page story alleging that Mitchell swore at a police officer who would not let him ride his bicycle through the gates of 10 Downing Street.

The Sun reported that Mitchell said: “Best you learn your fucking place. You don’t run this fucking government. You’re fucking plebs.”

This was later backed up after the police log was leaked to the Daily Telegraph and published in full.

Mitchell told Channel 4 Dispatches (for a programme due to be broadcast tonight): “I was caught between the pincers of the police on the one hand and the media on the other in a way that would lead you to believe that the Leveson Inquiry had never even taken place.

"I think that was completely wrong and it led to my demise."

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Mitchell resigned on 19 October but since then three individuals have been arrested in connection with the leak of the police log and questions have been raised about its accuracy.

Mitchell said: "I think Downing Street wanted this to go away. They really wanted me to lie low and let them get on with running the country but I couldn't do that – I couldn't wake up every morning for the rest of my life knowing that I had been stitched up.”

He believes that CCTV footage of the incident, released after his resignation, contradicts the police account of the incident.

Mitchell insists that he did not use the word “pleb”.

Three individual have been arrested so far in connection with the Plebgate leak. On Friday, a 46 year-old Diplomatic Protection Group officer was arrested on suspicion of misconduct I public office, A 52-year-old PC has also been arrested on suspicion of the same crime a 23-year-old has been arrested on suspion of assiting the commission of an indictable offence.

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