An “agitated” Andrew Mitchell called policemen “f**king plebs” in a “Mexican stand off” at the gates of Downing Street, it was claimed in court today. PC Toby Rowland claimed he threatened Mitchell with arrest because passers by could have been caused “distress” by his abusive language. Told by James Price QC that the allegations were an “invention” to justify the threat of arrest, PC Rowland insisted “all the evidence I’ve given is the truth…I have not written anything to cover my arse”.

Former No.10 officer PC Ian Richardson testified that he heard PC Rowland tell Mitchell “please don’t swear at me sir”, but did not take detailed notes because “I was eating my sandwiches and couldn’t be arsed to write too much more”. PC Richardson concluded: “At the time, it was just a quirky incident of a gentleman on a bicycle who had the hump”. The case continues…