Andrew Mitchell demands the police publish transcripts of ‘plebgate’ hearings

The plebgate scandal has flared back to life tonight with a letter from Andrew Mitchell to the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bernard Hogan-Howe. Mitchell alleges that one of the police officers on duty on the night of the incident boasted to a friend ‘I can topple the Tory government’.

According to Michael Crick, Mitchell gathered this evidence at the recent Met disciplinary hearings that he was allowed to attend. Mitchell now wants the transcripts of these hearings published along with the evidence presented to them. The Met’s response tonight suggests that they won’t agree to this.

Those close to Mitchell are getting increasingly frustrated at how long this whole business is taking. They know that Cameron won’t consider a return to frontline politics for Mitchell until the legal processes is over. But, at the moment, it looks like that might not be until after the next election.