The Sunday Times reports that "AT LEAST" ten police officers conspired to falsely discredit Andrew Mitchell

By Tim Montgomerie
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The Sunday Times (£) leads this morning with news that "AT LEAST" ten police officers were involved in a conspiracy to smear Andrew Mitchell.

The newspaper reports that the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is now extending its inquiry to uncover the full extent of that conspiracy:

"The 10 officers allegedly involved are from four police forces. Several are accused of fabricating allegations about what Mitchell said during the incident or making false statements to the media afterwards. Others are accused of leaking details of the case to the media."

If The Sunday Times' report is correct, The Sun, in particular, will have some apologising to do. Mr Mitchell is also likely to return to the frontbench but, I'm told, not the frontline. Something like a powerful Cabinet Office job is more likely.

Jon Gaunt, the man reported to be part of the Police Federation's campaign against Andrew Mitchell, announced yesterday that he was joining UKIP.