| Description: | He’s apologised more times than Nick Clegg and than Abu Hamza But to little effectI personally thought he’d be able to survive But that short cycle ride along Downing Street has now dominated the news cycle for longer than the Tour de France and there comes a point when every prime minister has to cut his losses Or in this case cut Andrew MitchellSome are arguing the Gategate affair has done deep and lasting damage to the Tory brand I don’t agree The Tory Toffs narrative had become embedded long before the attack on PC Pleb No one outside Westminster could have told you who Andrew Mitchell was this time last month and they won’t be able to tell you who he is this time next month The external impact of the affair will be minimalThe real damage has been done within his own party As chief whip Andrew Mitchell is the man with ultimate responsibility for instilling discipline and control over the Tory backbenches; a tough enough job in the best of circumstances It’s impossible to see how h |