Perhaps Friday afternoon is a good time to bury bad news. Tom Eden reports on the climax to a bad week for the Government.
More than five weeks after a confrontation with Downing Street police officers, Andrew Mitchell has resigned from his position as Chief Whip, saying that his position has become untenable.
The initial incident took place when police refused Mitchell passage as he tried to exit Downing Street through the main entrance. The armed police officers on duty insisted that he obey the policy of leaving via the side exit, reserved for pedestrians. It is at this point that the facts become murky, with conflict between the official police report and MitchellÔÇÖs version of events. The police report states that ÔÇÿa man claiming to be the Chief WhipÔÇÖ, upon hearing that police were under instruction not to allow bicycles through the main gate responded by saying ÔÇ£Best you learn your f**king placeÔǪ you donÔÇÖt run this f**king governmentÔǪ youÔÇÖre f**king plebs.ÔÇØ In contrast, Mitchell has maintained that he ÔÇÿdidnÔÇÖt use the words attributed to [him]ÔÇÖ, going so far as to deny that he even swore, although he later admitted to it.
On one level, this is an argument over a man and his bicycle, which has had a vast amount of coverage for a story about a brief loss of temper. However, as gaffes and scandals go, this could be very damaging to the Tories, despite MitchellÔÇÖs resignation. The fact that this incident has managed to generate so much attention from the media, and more importantly from the public, can be attributed to many things. By denying he called them, ÔÇÿplebsÔÇÖ, amongst other things, Mitchell is effectively accusing the police officers of lying.
Potentially the most worrying aspect for the Tories going into the future is how this confrontation fits so neatly into the toxic narrative that lingers around the Conservative party. Since Cameron became leader, he has worked to de-stigmatise the Tory ÔÇÿbrandÔÇÖ, trying to play down the idea that the Conservatives should seen as the party for the rich, or, in the words of the current home secretary Theresa May, as ÔÇÿthe nasty partyÔÇÖ. Terms such as ÔÇÿcompassionate ConservativesÔÇÖ have been thrown around but as each week progresses; the mask appears to be increasingly slipping. Following a budget where they cut tax for those who earn the most and used the spectre of the deficit to cut public services, questions are growing about whom they stand up for. Are we really all in it together?
The use of ÔÇÿplebsÔÇÖ, if true, is at the core of why this story has resonated so loudly in the publicÔÇÖs ears. The perception of ÔÇÿthem and usÔÇÖ has been amplified by what Mitchell has reportedly said, and his resignation coincided with the revelation that George Osborne was caught in a first class train carriage with only a standard ticket. This further scandal surrounding an apparent sense of privilege was resolved in a less hostile manner, with OsborneÔÇÖs Personal Assistant paying ┬ú189.50 so that they could remain in first class, according to a spokesperson for Virgin Trains. Questions have been raised over the timing of MitchellÔÇÖs resignation, with suggestions that it was a blatant attempt to distract attention away from OsborneÔÇÖs gaffe. It once again resembles something from The Thick Of It, and when politics imitates satire, the competence of the Government should be called into question.
MitchellÔÇÖs successor as Chief Whip is former Leader of the House Sir George Young, who like Cameron is another old Etonian. Whilst the air of privilege remains, he is apparently a much calmer cyclist.
Tom Eden
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