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'Plebgate': Police chiefs face MPs over Mitchell meeting 'Plebgate': Police officers face MPs over Mitchell meeting
(35 minutes later)
The chief constables of West Mercia, Warwickshire and West Midlands are to face MPs over the "plebgate" row. Three police officers accused of trying to discredit former chief whip Andrew Mitchell during the "plebgate" row are to appear before MPs.
The chiefs will be quizzed over allegations three police officers under their command tried to discredit former cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell. The officers have been accused by the police watchdog of misrepresenting Mr Mitchell after a meeting they had following claims he called Downing Street police officers "plebs".
The officers met Mr Mitchell amid a row over whether he called police at Downing Street "plebs" for not letting him ride his bike through the gates. Mr Mitchell, who has always denied the claim, later resigned from the cabinet.
Mr Mitchell, who has always denied the claim, later resigned as chief whip. On Monday, the three officers said they had not planned to mislead the public.
CCTV footage has cast doubt on the officers' account of the September 2012 incident. Also on Wednesday, the officers' chief constables are due to appear before the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, to be questioned about why they decided the three should not face disciplinary action over their meeting with Mr Mitchell.
'Integrity' The row between Mr Mitchell and the police intensified after the original allegation, that he called police "plebs" for not allowing him to ride his bike through the Downing Street gates, when three representatives of the Police Federation met the MP at his constituency office in Sutton Coldfield.
But a further controversy has developed recently. According to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), Mr Mitchell thought he was meeting Insp Ken MacKaill, of West Mercia Police, Det Sgt Stuart Hinton, of Warwickshire Police, and Sgt Chris Jones, of West Midlands Police, to "clear the air".
It surrounds a meeting three weeks after the incident between Mr Mitchell and three police officers from West Mercia, Warwickshire and the West Midlands, who were representing the Police Federation, overseeing an investigation into the matter. However, in comments made after the meeting, one of the officers, Inspector MacKaill, claimed the former chief whip would not provide an account of the incident, and called for his resignation.
After the talks, the officers issued a statement saying Mr Mitchell had refused to elaborate and should quit, which he later did. But Mr Mitchell had recorded the meeting, and a transcript showed that he apologised for swearing at the police officers and had denied using the word "plebs".
However, a recording of the meeting made by Mr Mitchell showed that - contrary to the claims - he had, during the meeting, denied using the word "pleb". 'Professional judgement'
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has said the trio's actions brought their "honesty and integrity" into question, but the three forces have said they will not take action against them. West Mercia Police conducted an internal investigation into claims the three officers were trying to discredit Mr Mitchell and concluded that there was no case to answer for misconduct or gross misconduct.
It said that there was no deliberate intention to lie to journalists. But last week the IPCC - which oversaw the West Mercia investigation - said it disagreed.
Deputy chair of the IPCC Deborah Glass said: "In my opinion the evidence indicates an issue of honesty and integrity, not merely naive or poor professional judgement."
The officers have since said they regret giving the statement, but Mr Mitchell's allies have dubbed this a "regretful non-apology".The officers have since said they regret giving the statement, but Mr Mitchell's allies have dubbed this a "regretful non-apology".
The chief constables face the Home Affairs Committee from 14:45 BST.
They are Warwickshire's Andy Parker, West Mercia's David Shaw and West Midlands' Chris Sims.
The three officers who took part in the meeting with Mr Mitchell - Det Supt Stuart Hinton, Sgt Chris Jones and Insp Ken MacKaill - will also be questioned.
Meanwhile, a ComRes poll for the BBC suggests 82% of people are still likely to believe what the police say.Meanwhile, a ComRes poll for the BBC suggests 82% of people are still likely to believe what the police say.
Of the 1,000 people questioned, 67% said plebgate had made "no difference" to their opinion, while 26% responded that it had made them "slightly less" or "much less" likely to trust the police.Of the 1,000 people questioned, 67% said plebgate had made "no difference" to their opinion, while 26% responded that it had made them "slightly less" or "much less" likely to trust the police.