Plebgate affair: Police Federation staff quizzed over Andrew Mitchell remarks

Midlands forces investigate three representatives amid concerns they exploited furore over minister's alleged 'pleb' comments
Andrew Mitchell
Plebgate affair: Andrew Mitchell denies using the word 'pleb' but admits to swearing in the presence of the officers. Photograph: Luke Macgregor/Reuters

Three Police Federation representatives from the Midlands are being investigated over comments they made to the media after a meeting with Andrew Mitchell amid the "plebgate" affair.

West Midlands, West Mercia and Warwickshire forces are investigating the trio's conduct over the remarks, which include comments by the chair of the West Mercia Federation, Ken Mackaill, that Mitchell should consider his position followingclaims he swore at officers in Downing Street and called them "fucking plebs" after they declined to allow him to cycle through the Downing Street security gates.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has received referrals from all three forces and is supervising the investigations into Mackaill and the other representatives.

A source close to the investigation said the inquiry was separate from Operation Alice, the Metropolitan police investigation into who leaked details of Mitchell's alleged comments to the Sun and the Daily Telegraph. That investigation is also being supervised by the IPCC.

The development means 10 officers from four forces are being investigated over the affair in separate disciplinary and criminal inquiries.

The Met's inquiry team, led by the assistant commissioner, Pat Gallan, is preparing to deliver evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service, which will then decide whether to charge the officers with misconduct in public office.

Three serving Met diplomatic protection officers have been arrested as part of the investigation. A fourth person, a relative of one of the officers, has also been detained and questioned.

The Met has also questioned one of those arrested over an email in which he purported to be a member of the public who witnessed the incident when in fact he had not been there. Seven officers from the force, including the three who had been detained, have received section 15 notices to alert them they are the subject of disciplinary investigations.

The three Midlands Police Federation representatives have been accused of exploiting the furore over the Mitchell incident after they printed PC Pleb T-shirts and protested outside the former chief whip's Sutton Coldfield constituency office.

They held a meeting with Mitchell at the Tory party conference in Birmingham and emerged to tell the waiting media Mitchell needed to consider his position. Mackaill said the politician had apologised for his comments to the officers in Downing Street and repeated a denial of key elements. Mackaill would not reveal exactly what Mitchell had said.

However, Mitchell had secretly recorded his conversation with the officers and passed the tape to the police.

The actions of the Police Federation representatives led to a rift in the organisation, with national officers reprimanding them over their behaviour.

Mitchell, who resigned as chief whip five months ago, claims he is the victim of a "vile stitch-up" to destroy his political career. He admits he swore in the presence of the police officers but denies using the word pleb.