Labour questions Mitchell's future

Britain main opposition Labour party Friday questioned the future of Government chief business manager at the House of Commons Andrew Mitchell in the wake of a reported foul-mouthed rant at Downing Street police officers. Labour's Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper called on the Government to clarify what was said during the altercation which occurred when Mitchell tried to cycle out of Downing Street last Wednesday. Reports in The Sun newspaper today suggest the 56-year-old Mitchell, a senior member of the government used abusive language against police officers. The showdown happened when the policeman stopped Mitchell from using the main gate of Downing Street. The senior Conservative MP, who was appointed to the post by Prime Minister David Cameron in the reshuffle earlier this month, has denied using the reported language but apologised to the officers involved for not treating them with proper respect. But Miss Cooper said this was not good enough, dubbing the reported outburst an "utter disgrace", and questioned how Mitchell could do his job if he could not keep his temper in check. She said: "These are appalling reports. No one should treat police officers or public servants in this way. "And the idea that a Cabinet minister could behave like this towards police officers doing their job is an utter disgrace. It tells you all you need to know about this out-of-touch Government and its attitude to public servants. "Downing Street clearly have a lot of questions to answer. They must make clear exactly what happened, including what was said and whether the deeply offensive language reported was used." The senior MP, who was also a minister under John Major in the early 1990s, apologised in a statement. He said: "On Wednesday night I attempted to leave Downing Street via the main gate, something I have been allowed to do many times before. "I was told that I was not allowed to leave that way. While I do not accept that I used any of the words that have been reported, I accept I did not treat the police with the respect they deserve. I have seen the supervising sergeant and apologised, and will also apologise to the police officer involved." Mitchell, a keen cyclist, was reported by The Sun to also have called the police "morons" (idiots).