David Cameron expressed concern that a police officer tried to “blacken the name” of former Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell amid mounting questions over the initial account of the row that led to his resignation.
As Scotland Yard vowed to get to the bottom of allegations that an officer falsely claimed to have witnessed Mr Mitchell’s row with Downing Street police, the Prime Minister said it was a “very serious issue” that had to be “seriously investigated.”
The officer is said to have written an email to his local MP, Conservative John Randall, posing as a member of the public and accusing Mr Mitchell of calling police “plebs” when they refused to let him ride his bicycle through the main gates of Downing Street.
The account contained in the email, written the day before The Sun first broke news of the row on September 21, was very similar to that in the police log, which was later leaked to the Daily Telegraph.
Supporters of Mr Mitchell, who resigned after a month of highly damaging headlines and criticism, sought to start rehabilitating his battered reputation and raised the prospect of his eventual return to the Cabinet.
The Metropolitan Police Service said today it was conducting an investigation, supervised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), that could look at the possibility of a conspiracy.
In a statement, it said: “The allegation that a serving police officer fabricated evidence is extremely serious. It goes to the very heart of the public’s trust in the police service.”
Further questions about the account of Mr Mitchell’s row with police emerged in relation to CCTV footage of the incident, which was broadcast for the first time by Channel 4 News and appeared to contradict parts of a leaked police log about the spat.
Former Tory leader Lord Howard said: “I am appalled at the suggestion that a police officer could do what it is alleged that the police officer in question did, and I certainly do hope that Andrew Mitchell is restored to Government at the earliest possible opportunity.”
Tory former shadow home secretary David Davis also said Mr Mitchell should be restored to the ministerial ranks.
Mr Davis criticised the cabinet secretary, Sir Jeremy Heywood, and the Met for failing properly to examine the evidence when the allegations first emerged.
“Whether it’s the Met investigation or Sir Jeremy Heywood, none of this is exactly Sherlock Holmes. All the investigations did not go to the heart.”
Downing Street said yesterday it received two emails via Mr Randall from his constituent, but after comparing the claims they contained with the evidence from CCTV cameras, Sir Jeremy decided that they were not “reliable.”