Andrew Mitchell
Andrew Mitchell, friend of the civil service
Tensions between some ministers and the civil service are at boiling point, with vicious briefings taking place on both sides. Seemingly keen to keep the pen-pushers sweet, former Chief Whip… Continue reading
3 Comments
Is Andrew Mitchell the right man for Britain in Europe?
It now looks almost certain that Andrew Mitchell will be our next EU Commissioner in 2014. The job was not advertised and the backroom selection process remains a mystery. In… Continue reading
43 Comments
Mitch’s pitch on Europe
Andrew Mitchell’s piece in the FT today marks his return to normal politics post-Plebgate. Up to now, Mitchell has confined his post-resignation comments either to his old stomping ground of… Continue reading
30 Comments
Can you help Andrew Mitchell?
Andrew Mitchell, formerly of DFID, urgently needs Coffee Housers’ help. It seems he won’t believe DFID wastes money, unless he sees actual, concrete examples. Last week, in the magazine, we… Continue reading
17 Comments
Three problems with Sir Jeremy Heywood’s ‘plebgate’ evidence
Sir Jeremy Heywood’s evidence to MPs on the Andrew Mitchell row didn’t go down very well at all this morning. Though a powerful man, the Cabinet Secretary is not well-liked… Continue reading
14 Comments
PMQs: Leaders trade dull insults as Andrew Mitchell holds court
No one could call today’s PMQs illuminating. Ed Miliband led on the whole embarrassment of a Downing Street aide being snapped with a memo about whether to release a full… Continue reading
17 Comments
Sherlock Heywood will face the mob
Not long ago Westminster wags nicknamed Sir Jeremy Heywood, Downing Street’s top Sir Humphrey — ‘Wormtongue’ after Tolkien’s poisonous power behind the throne in the Lord of the Rings. Since… Continue reading
2 Comments
Will ‘plod-gate’ make voters more sceptical of class-based political attacks?
The Andrew Mitchell story has always been about class. If all Mitchell was alleged to have said was ‘you supposed to f’ing help us’ there would have been some clucking… Continue reading
131 Comments
If they can frame a Chief Whip, they can frame anyone
Lord Denning was perhaps the most beloved judge of the 20th century. He even inspired a Lord Denning Appreciation Society. But I and many others found something sinister behind his… Continue reading
113 Comments
Mitchell row could make MPs think again before criticising a colleague in trouble
Tory MPs – and the occasional Lib Dem, too – were flocking around Andrew Mitchell in the Commons yesterday to show their support for the former chief whip. He is… Continue reading
33 Comments We may soon know the truth about the Andrew Mitchell incident
The plot is rapidly thickening around the whole Andrew Mitchell and police incident. By the end of this matter, I suspect several reputations will have been severely damaged. The email… Continue reading
82 Comments
Andrew Mitchell’s next step could be an international job
The Westminster grapevine is buzzing with the latest rumours about the truth of ‘pleb-gate’. There are legal limits to what we can say. But a few things seem certain. Andrew… Continue reading
58 Comments Was the deputy chief whip just doing his job by passing on Mitchell concerns?
The latest twist in the Andrew Mitchell story is particularly intriguing. The Guardian is reporting that news of the confrontation between the police and the chief whip was passed onto Downing… Continue reading
54 Comments
The ‘disappointment’ of Andrew Mitchell
Former Chief Whip Andrew ‘Thrasher’ Mitchell has been reflecting on his salad days. In an interview with Cambridge University’s alumni magazine, which one presumes was given some time before the… Continue reading
7 Comments
Andrew Mitchell: ‘Rogue minister’ claims on Rwanda aid ‘offensive’
Andrew Mitchell emerged from his post-resignation exile on the backbenches this morning to defend his decision to sign off on a £16 million aid cheque to Rwanda on his last… Continue reading
14 Comments
The government needs good news from the Work Programme
You know a government is in trouble when the ‘week from hell’ moves beyond cliché to become the normal state of affairs. We already had a slew of pieces around… Continue reading
1 Comment
Theresa May won’t deny she told Andrew Mitchell to go
Theresa May’s political stock has risen this week. Announcing an intention to opt-out of EU law and order directives pleased Tory MPs while her decision not to extradite Gary McKinnon… Continue reading
43 Comments
Class warfare is back, and not just in politics or from the left
Class is back with a vengeance, and not just thanks to the Andrew Mitchell saga. Today’s newspapers are chock full of stories across the news spectrum linked back to class. The… Continue reading
129 Comments
David Cameron turns to Sir George Young again
Sir George Young’s appointment as chief whip is testament to both the respect David Cameron holds him in and the Prime Minister’s intense dislike of reshuffles. This is the second… Continue reading
18 Comments
Why Andrew Mitchell had to go
Andrew Mitchell’s resignation does not leave David Cameron looking weak, as Labour is claiming tonight. The weekend press will have plenty fun with all this. But in the longer run,… Continue reading
86 Comments