Andrew Mitchell has quit as government chief whip after weeks of pressure over an argument with police officers in Downing Street.
The Tory MP has admitted swearing at officers in the incident but again denied calling police “plebs”.
He told David Cameron – who has stood by him – that “damaging publicity” meant he could no longer do his job. Former Commons leader Sir George Young will be the new chief whip, Downing Street said.
Mr Mitchell’s resignation is a victory for the Police Federation and Labour who have led calls for him to go. But it spells the end of a 25-year political career for the Sutton Coldfield MP, who was promoted from international development secretary to chief whip in September’s cabinet reshuffle.
BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson said Mr Mitchell told the prime minister about his decision in person, at Mr Cameron’s country residence Chequers.
The prime minister has accepted his resignation…
Mr Mitchell – whose job was to maintain discipline on the Conservative benches – was thrust into the spotlight when The Sun accused him in a front page story of calling police “plebs”.
His outburst came after armed police stopped him from cycling through the main Downing Street gate, instead directing him to the smaller pedestrian gate.
He is reported to have used foul language and told the officer at the gates to “learn your place” and “you don’t run this government”.
- BBC News
14 Comments
Whoa. Kind of relates to the previous conversation about decency. That’s not decent behaviour.
Given his role as chief whip, perhaps he was just accustomed to using those phrases all the time…
Desipis, I suspect you’re right. I also suspect that he didn’t say ‘pleb’. I think he said the far more damaging ‘you don’t know your place’. It is perfectly possible to be a pleb. Lots of people are plebs, and have plebeian tastes, in the Roman sense of the word. That does not mean that they have a place, much less that they ought to know what it is.
Ah, class distinction…
It was the ‘you don’t know your place’ which made me bristle, not so much the pleb bit. I have no doubt that some of my tastes are plebian (I love a chip butty, for example). Call me a pleb and I’d laugh – tell me that I need to learn my place and I’d have to restrain myself from slapping you.
One reason that I never liked the Tory party when I lived in Britain was because I discerned that kind of ‘don’t you know your place?’ attitude in many Tories whom I met. Of course I know some nice Tories who are thoroughly decent sorts, but I despised (and still despise) those Tories who thought they’d been “born to rule” and that they could tell me and everyone else what was best for us.
But then of course, I do not know my place, and I don’t care: in fact, I’m proud of it. It was good being an Australian in Britain because I was impossible to place in the class strata anyway.
I’d tell this guy, “Well, mate, you’re elected by the people, it’s called DEM-OC-RACY. You might think that your “place” is to rule – but you owe your power to me and the consent of other people like me, and if you keep treating people like that, you’ll lose your “place”, and it will all be your own doing.” As indeed has occurred.
I can’t freaking stand anyone from either the Left or the Right who thinks they’re “born to rule” and that they know better than everyone else, so they can treat everyone else with disdain.
LE@4 thanks for the revised definition of ‘bristle’. The editors of The Shorter Macquarie are most grateful, having just about got ‘misogyny’ right
DEM, I really like the ‘PC Pleb’ header. You should offer your services to the Incredinburgh’ agency. They could use some help about now.
KVD, well, yes, bristle is probably too mild. Outrage is more like it.
Annabel Crabb on Incredinburgh.
Ha! ”We Have A Nice Castle”
On another site I was reading about this, they gave the example of a 1980′s campaign by British Rail: “We’re getting there”. I’d be interested to know if this is just an urban myth.
I must admit living in the city as that proposed advertising campaign tanked over the past week (and watching all my Scottish friends take the piss out of it) was funny, but not in good way – just thinking of all the council tax that was wasted…
To be honest, Edinburgh doesn’t need a special tourism campaign. It is a gorgeous city even in the pouring rain, it has a castle, it has spectacular scenery, the Fringe, the International Festival, etc.
Enough already!
oh, well, it was just the whip, so printable, unlike what PM advisors would say if we are to believe “In The Thick Of It“ and the bleepathon between the actor and the actual one that was broadcast into the creche. I sure there would have been contractions or misspellings of “constable”
SL I’m just a fan of understatement, so I thought the suggestion of “We have a nice castle” had an aggressively mild ring to it. Nothing particularly attached to Edinburgh in my comment, I assure you.
Now, with the same approach, do you think anybody would support a Pleb Walk?
kvd, we already have a regular Pleb Walk. It’s commonly referred to as “peak hour”.
In NSW however, there might be cause for a Retired B-Grade Porn Star Walk.
desipis, I do remember that, from a distant past, when it really only lasted for no more than an hour. It’s a good suggestion – so, thank you.