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| Andrew Mitchell should be sacked, says Yvette Cooper | Andrew Mitchell should be sacked, says Yvette Cooper |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has called on Andrew Mitchell to be sacked following his outburst at police officers outside Number 10. | Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has called on Andrew Mitchell to be sacked following his outburst at police officers outside Number 10. |
| She said the chief whip had lost the confidence of his party and the PM should "remove" him from his post. | She said the chief whip had lost the confidence of his party and the PM should "remove" him from his post. |
| Mr Mitchell has apologised for his conduct in the row but denies calling the officers concerned "plebs". | Mr Mitchell has apologised for his conduct in the row but denies calling the officers concerned "plebs". |
| He will hold a private meeting with members of his local West Midlands Police Federation later. | He will hold a private meeting with members of his local West Midlands Police Federation later. |
| Prime Minister David Cameron and senior officers have said a line should be drawn under the matter following his apology, but pressure on Mr Mitchell continues. | Prime Minister David Cameron and senior officers have said a line should be drawn under the matter following his apology, but pressure on Mr Mitchell continues. |
| 'No confidence' | 'No confidence' |
| A leader column in the Daily Telegraph on Friday called on the chief whip to step down from the cabinet saying he is now a "laughing stock" and a "walking, talking embodiment of everything with which David Cameron would least like his party to be associated". | A leader column in the Daily Telegraph on Friday called on the chief whip to step down from the cabinet saying he is now a "laughing stock" and a "walking, talking embodiment of everything with which David Cameron would least like his party to be associated". |
| According to an opinion poll by YouGov, 50% of the public think the "plebs" row shows Conservative MPs see themselves as better than ordinary people. | |
| The online survey of 1,710 people suggests 60% of the public believe Mr Mitchell's outburst "showed his true feelings", while 50% thought his behaviour and attitudes reflected those of other Conservative MPs. Just over half of respondents, 52%, thought he should resign. | |
| Mr Mitchell's future was the source of speculation during this week's Tory conference, despite the Sutton Coldfield MP choosing not to attend, with ministers repeatedly asked about the incident. | |
| Labour, which had previously called for the cabinet minister to provide further clarity on what he said to police officers, said the situation had gone on long enough. | Labour, which had previously called for the cabinet minister to provide further clarity on what he said to police officers, said the situation had gone on long enough. |
| "Neither the prime minister nor the chief whip have proved capable of coming clean swiftly and putting this right," said Ms Cooper. | "Neither the prime minister nor the chief whip have proved capable of coming clean swiftly and putting this right," said Ms Cooper. |
| "And it is now clear no one even in the Conservative Party has confidence in Andrew Mitchell either. | "And it is now clear no one even in the Conservative Party has confidence in Andrew Mitchell either. |
| "The failure by David Cameron and Andrew Mitchell to take this incident seriously enough and to sort it out straight away means Andrew Mitchell will clearly not be able to instil respect in Parliament or beyond as chief whip, and this will just drag on and on. | "The failure by David Cameron and Andrew Mitchell to take this incident seriously enough and to sort it out straight away means Andrew Mitchell will clearly not be able to instil respect in Parliament or beyond as chief whip, and this will just drag on and on. |
| "David Cameron needs to put an end to this now and remove Andrew Mitchell from his position as chief whip." | "David Cameron needs to put an end to this now and remove Andrew Mitchell from his position as chief whip." |
| 'Pleb and proud' | 'Pleb and proud' |
| Ahead of his meeting with Mr Mitchell, Ken Mackaill, chairman of the West Mercia Police Federation, said: "We want to get to the bottom of this matter, hear what Mr Mitchell has to say and hopefully move forward from here. | Ahead of his meeting with Mr Mitchell, Ken Mackaill, chairman of the West Mercia Police Federation, said: "We want to get to the bottom of this matter, hear what Mr Mitchell has to say and hopefully move forward from here. |
| "Mr Mitchell has apologised for being discourteous to the police officers at Downing Street but has denied using the words attributed to him. | "Mr Mitchell has apologised for being discourteous to the police officers at Downing Street but has denied using the words attributed to him. |
| "We want to ask him exactly what he did say. As it currently stands, there is an implication that the officers' accounts are not accurate." | "We want to ask him exactly what he did say. As it currently stands, there is an implication that the officers' accounts are not accurate." |
| Last month, police officers protested outside Mr Mitchell's constituency office wearing T-shirt with the words "PC Pleb and Proud" printed on them and representatives have called for a full inquiry into the matter. | Last month, police officers protested outside Mr Mitchell's constituency office wearing T-shirt with the words "PC Pleb and Proud" printed on them and representatives have called for a full inquiry into the matter. |