Police officer Toby Rowland, who was on duty the night of the incident, has threatened to sue the former Chief Whip, for libel over claims that he lied about being called a pleb by the politician.

Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty, said: With the public reeling from a long list of police scandal and abuse Plebgate, Duggan, spying on the Lawrence family this is the last thing the service needs.

It would effectively place officers beyond criticism, silencing those wanting to protest their innocence.

Kids stopped and searched and the vulnerable held in the back of vans dont need another reason to mistrust the police this would give them a reason to fear them.

Last week PC Keith Wallis, 53, was jailed for a year after admitting lying about the incident.

The officer, who was a member of the Metropolitan Polices Diplomatic Protection Group, sent a senior Tory official an email wrongly claiming to have witnessed the row which took place in Downing Street when Mr Mitchell was told he could not ride his bicycle through the main gates.

Mr Mitchell was accused of referring to the officers on duty as plebs, something he has always vehemently denied.

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Plebgate: Liberty intervenes