Sir David Davis says the Police Federation have lost trust over the Andrew Mitchell case

As reported in the Mail on Sunday;

“Plebgate log that brought down Tory chief whip ‘could be fake’, admits Police Federation

The leader of rank-and-file police officers has admitted that the leaked Plebgate log might be a fake.

John Tully, chairman of the Police Federation, said the document – which claims Andrew Mitchell called officers ‘plebs’ – looks ‘nothing like a police log’.

Mr Tully was asked to verify a copy of what appeared to be a police log shortly after Mr Mitchell’s altercation with officers guarding Downing Street in September last year.

The log claims Mr Mitchell, who was the Tory chief whip at the time, called officers ‘f****** plebs’ when they refused to open the main gate so he could cycle through.

Mr Tully claims he had reservations about the document’s veracity when he was shown a leaked copy of the log by The Sun newspaper.

He said: ‘I couldn’t confirm the veracity of it because I didn’t know where it had come from and if it had been constructed by anyone. My concern is that it has always been called a police log and it is nothing like a police log.’

His comments raise serious questions about the Police Federation’s role in the saga, with members repeatedly using the row in the weeks that followed to garner public sympathy over police cuts.

Yesterday, former shadow home secretary David Davis said the Police Federation’s handling of the affair would harm its influence in the future.

 Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday Politics show, Mr Davis, a supporter of Mr Mitchell, said: ‘It’s very convenient for them to sit back and say “not our fault, guv”. I’m afraid it is just as guilty as everybody else.

‘I think it’s got very serious consequences for its future.

 ‘The police now don’t have as much trust in the Police Federation as they did and I think that the Government is going to be less afraid [of it].

‘The Federation is there to represent people whose job it is to uphold justice therefore they have certain standards.

‘These people who are supposed to uphold justice are effectively fitting up a cabinet minister.’

He also criticised Downing Street, saying: ‘Frankly, I don’t think many British institutions come out of this with credit.’”