Met police officer charged with misconduct over plebgate affair
PC KEITH Wallis has been charged with misconduct in public office over the plebgate scandal that cost Andrew Mitchell MP his job.
Mitchell was forced to resign as chief whip over allegations that he called police officers “plebs” when attempting to leave Downing Street last December.
Wallis is the first police officer to be charged in connection with the allegations, after the CPS accused him of falsely claiming to have witnessed the event in an email to his own MP, which was subsequently leaked.
A further five members of the Metropolitan Police’s Diplomatic Protection Group will face gross misconduct proceedings linked to the subsequent row, according to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
Conservative politician Dominic Raab labelled the investigation a “whitewash” and called for Mitchell to get his job back “sooner rather than later”.
“There is no doubt that he has been set up, and he has been vindicated,” he added.
Mitchell told Channel 4 News that he has “an understanding with the PM” about getting his job back. A spokesperson for Downing Street told City A.M they would not comment on reshuffle rumours.