Conservative Diary

« The Lib Dems are painting the Conservatives as the party of the rich. What's our response? | Main | Snobbery, not poshness, is toxic to the Tory brand »

Full text of Andrew Mitchell's to-camera apology

By Tim Montgomerie
Follow Tim on Twitter

Mitchell Apology

The Chief Whip has just given a statement to reporters in Whitehall. It was his first appearance in front of the cameras since the story of his encounter with Downing Street police officers:

"Well I want first of all to reiterate the apology I made last week in Downing Street. It had been the end of a long and frustrating day. Not that that is any excuse at all for what happened. I didn't show the police the amount of respect I should have done. We should all respect the police they do an incredibly difficult job. I have apologised to the police, I have apologised to the officer on the gate, and he has accepted my apology, and I hope very much that we can draw a line under it there. I am very clear about what I said, and what I didn't say, and I want to make it absolutely clear I did not say the words attributed to me. I am now going to go and get on with my work."

Transcribed by ITV News.

We note the latest developments in the Andrew Mitchell story within today's newslinks.

Comments

You must be logged in using Intense Debate, Wordpress, Twitter or Facebook to comment.