View source for Andrew Mitchell

{{short description|British politician (born 1956)}}
{{other people}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
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{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name                = Sir Andrew Mitchell
| honorific-suffix    = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCMG|MP}}
| image               = Official portrait of Andrew Mitchell MP crop 2, 2024.jpg
| caption             = Official portrait, 2024
| office              = [[Shadow Foreign Secretary]]
| predecessor         = [[David Lammy]]
| term_start          = 8 July 2024
| leader              = [[Rishi Sunak]]
| successor           = [[Priti Patel]]
| term_end            = 4 November 2024
| office1             = [[Deputy Foreign Secretary]]
| primeminister1      = Rishi Sunak
| 1blankname1         = Foreign Secretary
| 1namedata1          = [[David Cameron]]
| term_start1         = 12 April 2024
| term_end1           = 5 July 2024
| predecessor1        = ''Office established''
| successor1          = ''Office abolished''
| office2             = [[Minister of State for Development and Africa]]
| primeminister2      = Rishi Sunak
| term_start2         = 25 October 2022
| term_end2           = 5 July 2024
| predecessor2        = {{unbulleted list|[[Vicky Ford]]{{efn|name=MD|As Minister of State for Development}}|[[Gillian Keegan]]{{efn|name=A|As Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Africa}}}}
| successor2          = [[Anneliese Dodds]]{{Efn||name=MD}}<br>[[Ray Collins, Baron Collins of Highbury|The Lord Collins of Highbury]]{{Efn||name=A}}
| office3             = {{unbulleted list|[[Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons]]|[[Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury]]}}
| primeminister3      = David Cameron
| term_start3         = 4 September 2012
| term_end3           = 19 October 2012
| predecessor3        = [[Patrick McLoughlin]]
| successor3          = [[Sir George Young]]
| office4             = [[Secretary of State for International Development]]
| primeminister4      = David Cameron
| term_start4         = 12 May 2010
| term_end4           = 4 September 2012
| predecessor4        = [[Douglas Alexander]]
| successor4          = [[Justine Greening]]
{{collapsed infobox section begin|last=yes|[[Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom)|Shadow Cabinet]] portfolios
|titlestyle = border:1px dashed lightgrey}}{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes
| office5             = [[Shadow Secretary of State for International Development]]
| leader5             = {{unbulleted list|[[Michael Howard]]|David Cameron}}
| term_start5         = 7 May 2005
| term_end5           = 11 May 2010
| predecessor5        = [[Alan Duncan]]
| successor5          = Douglas Alexander
{{Collapsed infobox section end}}}}
{{Collapsed infobox section begin |last = yes |Junior ministerial offices
| titlestyle       = border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder
| embed            = yes
| office6             = [[Department of Social Security (United Kingdom)|Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security]]
| primeminister506    = [[John Major]]
| term_start6         = 6 July 1995
| term_end6           = 2 May 1997
| predecessor6        = [[Alistair Burt]]
| successor6          = [[John Denham (politician)|John Denham]]
| office7             = [[Lord Commissioner of the Treasury]]
| primeminister7      = John Major
| term_start7         = 20 July 1994
| term_end7           = 6 July 1995
| predecessor7        = [[Irvine Patnick]]
| successor7          = [[David Willetts]]
{{Collapsed infobox section end}}}}
| office8             = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]
| term_start8         = 7 June 2001
| term_end8           = 
| predecessor8        = [[Norman Fowler]]
| majority8           = 2,543 (5.3%)
| constituency8       = [[Sutton Coldfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Sutton Coldfield]]
| constituency9       = [[Gedling (UK Parliament constituency)|Gedling]]
| term_start9         = 11 June 1987
| term_end9           = 8 April 1997
| predecessor9        = [[Philip Holland (politician)|Philip Holland]]
| successor9          = [[Vernon Coaker]]
| birth_name          = Andrew John Bower Mitchell
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1956|3|23|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Hampstead]], [[London]], England
| death_date          = 
| father              = [[David Mitchell (politician)|David Mitchell]]
| death_place         = 
| residence           = [[Islington]], London, England
| party               = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| spouse              = Sharon Bennett
| alma_mater          = [[Jesus College, Cambridge]]
| website             = {{URL|andrew-mitchell-mp.co.uk|Constituency website}}
| signature           = Andrew Mitchell signature.svg
}}

'''Sir Andrew John Bower Mitchell''' [[Order of St Michael and St George|KCMG]] (born 23 March 1956) is a British politician who was [[Shadow Foreign Secretary]] from July to November 2024 and served as [[Foreign Secretary (United Kingdom)|Deputy Foreign Secretary]] between February and July 2024. He was also [[Minister of State for Development and Africa]] between October 2022 and July 2024. A member of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], he has served as the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Sutton Coldfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Sutton Coldfield]] since [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001]] and previously served as the MP for [[Gedling (UK Parliament constituency)|Gedling]] from [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987]] to [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997]]. Mitchell served in the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]] as [[Secretary of State for International Development]] from 2010 to 2012 and then briefly as Government [[Chief Whip]] in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] in late 2012.

Mitchell studied History at [[Jesus College, Cambridge]], where he was elected [[List of presidents of the Cambridge Union|President]] of the [[Cambridge Union]] in 1978. He was elected to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] for [[Gedling (UK Parliament constituency)|Gedling]] in [[Nottinghamshire]] at the [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987 general election]]. He served in the [[second Major government]] as a [[Lord Commissioner of the Treasury]] from 1994 to 1995 and as a junior minister at the [[Department of Social Security (United Kingdom)|Department of Social Security]] from 1995 to 1997. Mitchell lost his seat to the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]]'s [[Vernon Coaker]] at the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]]. In [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001]], he contested [[Sutton Coldfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Sutton Coldfield]] in the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]], a [[safe seat]] for the Conservatives, and was returned to Parliament. Mitchell was appointed to the [[Shadow cabinet]] in 2005 as [[Shadow Secretary of State for International Development]]. In this role, he founded Project Umubano, a Conservative Party social action project in [[Rwanda]] and [[Sierra Leone]] in central and west Africa.

Under the [[Cameron–Clegg coalition|coalition government]] of [[David Cameron]], he served as [[Secretary of State for International Development]] from 2010 to 2012. In the [[2012 British cabinet reshuffle|September 2012 cabinet reshuffle]], he was appointed chief whip. Amid public pressure due to the ''[[Plebgate]]'' scandal, Mitchell resigned from the government the following month, and returned to the [[backbenches]]. In 2022, after serving on the backbenches for 10 years, Mitchell made a return to government as [[Minister of State for Development and Africa]] following the appointment of [[Rishi Sunak]] as prime minister. He was appointed to the honorific title of Deputy Foreign Secretary in April 2024. After the defeat of the Conservative party in the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]], Mitchell became [[Shadow Foreign Secretary]] in the [[Shadow Cabinet of Rishi Sunak]].

==Early life and career==
Mitchell was born at [[Hampstead]] in north London, the son of Sir [[David Bower Mitchell]], a future Conservative MP of 33 years, and Government Minister. He was educated at [[Ashdown House, East Sussex|Ashdown House School]] and [[Rugby School]], where—as a self-confessed "stern disciplinarian"—he earned the nickname "Thrasher".<ref>{{cite news |title=Profile: Andrew Mitchell |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19698442 |publisher=BBC News |date=24 September 2012}}</ref>

In February 1975, he joined the [[Royal Tank Regiment]] as a [[second lieutenant]] on a Short Service Limited Commission (a commission designed for teenagers applying to Oxford or Cambridge University after leaving the sixth form), spending time in [[Cyprus]] where his unit was carrying out peacekeeping duties.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.conservatives.com/People/Members_of_Parliament/Mitchell_Andrew.aspx |title=Andrew Mitchell (Members of Parliament) |publisher=conservatives.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Our-organisation1/Ministers/Andrew-Mitchell/ |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120730085132/http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/Our-organisation/Ministers/Andrew-Mitchell/ |title=Andrew Mitchell |archive-date=30 July 2012 |url-status=dead |access-date=24 September 2012}}</ref> In October of that year, he transferred to the [[Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve]]. He resigned his commission on 9 February 1977.<ref name="LG 19 April 1977">{{London Gazette |issue=47198 |date=19 April 1977 |page=5209 |supp=y }}</ref>

He went to the [[University of Cambridge]], where he read History at [[Jesus College, Cambridge|Jesus College]]. He was Chairman of the [[Cambridge University Conservative Association]] in the [[Michaelmas]] Term of 1977. He served as President of the [[Cambridge Union]] 1978–79,<ref>{{cite web |agency=www.cuca.org.uk |url=http://www.cuca.org.uk/2011/05/04/cuca-is-pleased-to-annouce-the-appointment-of-a-new-vice-president/ |publisher=Cambridge University Conservative Association |title=CUCA is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Vice-President |date=4 May 2011 |access-date=9 April 2011 |archive-date=25 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425152521/http://www.cuca.org.uk/2011/05/04/cuca-is-pleased-to-annouce-the-appointment-of-a-new-vice-president/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1978, later proceeding to [[Master of Arts (Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin)|Master of Arts]].<ref name="Who's Who">{{citation |title=MITCHELL, Rt Hon. Andrew (John Bower) |work=Who's Who 2012 |publisher=A & C Black |date=December 2011}}</ref>

Mitchell worked for [[Lazard]], the investment bank, where he worked with British companies seeking large-scale overseas contracts.<ref name="About Andrew">[http://www.andrew-mitchell-mp.co.uk/record.jsp?type=requiredPage&ID=2 About Andrew] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107105728/http://www.andrew-mitchell-mp.co.uk/record.jsp?type=requiredPage&ID=2 |date=7 January 2011}} www.andrew-mitchell-mp.co.uk</ref>

==Political career==

=== Early career (1983–2005) ===
Mitchell was the only Conservative member of [[List of district health authorities in England and Wales|Islington Health Authority]] (IHA) in north London during the 1980s and, in that capacity, he called for the IHA to make greater use of [[competitive tendering]] in the allocation of service contracts.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/mpdb/html/452.stm |title=Andrew Mitchell biography |publisher=BBC News}}</ref>

After unsuccessfully contesting [[Sunderland South]] at the [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983 general election]], Mitchell entered Parliament in 1987 at the age of 31 as MP for [[Gedling (UK Parliament constituency)|Gedling]], Nottinghamshire, serving in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] concurrently with his father until 1997. In 1988, under Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]], he became [[Parliamentary Private Secretary|PPS]] to [[William Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North Hill|William Waldegrave]], who was Minister of State at the [[Foreign and Commonwealth Office]]. In 1990, he became PPS to [[John Wakeham]], who was [[Department of Energy (United Kingdom)|Secretary of State for Energy]]. In 1992, under [[John Major]], he became Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party, and in the same year was appointed as an Assistant Government Whip. In 1993, he became a Government Whip. In 1995, he became [[Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State]] at the [[Department of Social Security (United Kingdom)|Department of Social Security]], a position he held until 1997.

Mitchell lost his Commons seat with [[Tony Blair]]'s [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] victory at the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 election]]. He was returned to Parliament at the [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001 election]] as the MP for [[Sutton Coldfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Sutton Coldfield]], near Birmingham. He held no shadow ministerial or organisational position under the leadership of [[Iain Duncan Smith]], but in November 2003, under new leader [[Michael Howard]], he became Shadow Economic Affairs Minister. In 2004, he became Shadow Home Office Minister, primarily dealing with police matters.

=== Shadow International Development Secretary (2005–2010) ===
In May 2005, Mitchell was appointed to the [[Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom)|Shadow Cabinet]] as [[Shadow Secretary of State for International Development]]. Following Howard's decision to stand down as leader following the Conservatives' [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005 general election]] defeat, Mitchell ran the unsuccessful leadership campaign of [[David Davis (British politician)|David Davis]], but retained his Shadow Cabinet position under the winner of the leadership election, [[David Cameron]].{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

====Project Umubano====
Mitchell led groups of Conservative volunteers from the professions in social development projects in [[Rwanda]] for three consecutive summers, from 2007 to 2009, as part of Project Umubano,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.conservatives.com/Get_involved/Project_Umubano.aspx |title=Welcome to Project Umubano |author=Stephen Crabb |publisher=Conservative Party |date=29 November 2012 |access-date=30 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115124016/http://www.conservatives.com/Get_involved/Project_Umubano.aspx |archive-date=15 November 2012 }}</ref> and kept a detailed diary of their activities and experiences.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://iaindale.blogspot.com/2009/12/guest-post-andrew-mitchells-rwandan.html |title=Andrew Mitchell's Rwandan Diary |work=Iain Dale's Diary |date=28 December 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://conservativehome.blogs.com/centreright/2009/07/andrew-mitchell-mp-its-good-to-be-back-in-rwanda-as-project-umubano-enters-its-third-year.html |title=Andrew Mitchell MP: It's good to be back in Rwanda as Project Umubano enters its third year |work=ConservativeHome |date=20 July 2009}}</ref> The volunteers focused on five areas: health, education, justice, the private sector, and a community centre construction project.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://conservativehome.blogs.com/platform/2008/07/andrew-mitchell.html |title=Andrew Mitchell MP: Project Umubano 2008 |work=ConservativeHome |date=July 2008}}</ref> In 2008, Mitchell himself taught English to over a thousand Rwandan primary school teachers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS4lvlFYKF4 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090719161617/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS4lvlFYKF4&feature=channel| archive-date=19 July 2009 | url-status=dead|title=Project Umubano |work=YouTube |author=webcameronuk}}</ref> It was during one of these trips that Mitchell and his aides are reported to have verbally abused one of the volunteers, a student journalist who had circulated a draft newspaper article she had written stressing the positives of the project, but also pointing out some problems with its operation. The journalist, Lucy Kinder, claimed Mitchell texted her father, a friend from Mitchell's university days: "They [his aides] are threatening her with physical violence and I can't say I blame them".<ref name=telegraph-20120921>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9559159/How-Andrew-Mitchell-turned-his-anger-on-me.html |title=How Andrew Mitchell turned his anger on me |author=Lucy Kinder |newspaper=Daily Telegraph |date=21 September 2012 |access-date=30 November 2012 |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=27 July 2011 |title=President Kagame Officially Opens Girubuntu Education Center |url=http://www.presidency.gov.rw/component/content/article/1-latest-news/484-president-kagame-officially-opens-girubuntu-education-center.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331162537/http://www.presidency.gov.rw/component/content/article/1-latest-news/484-president-kagame-officially-opens-girubuntu-education-center.html |archive-date=31 March 2012 |access-date=9 March 2011}}</ref>

====Views on Gaza====
Mitchell expressed support for the idea of a televised appeal for [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]] on the BBC in 2009, a subject which had aroused much controversy on both sides of the argument. He said that, while the matter was ultimately for the BBC to decide, "We believe that they should allow the broadcast to proceed so that the British public, who have proved themselves so generous during recent emergencies in the Congo and Burma, can make their own judgement on the validity of the appeal".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/jan/24/bbc-gaza-palestine-aid-appeal |title=BBC crisis over refusal to broadcast Gaza appeal |work=The Guardian |date=24 January 2009 |location=London |first1=Caroline |last1=Davies |first2=Vanessa |last2=Thorpe |first3=Gaby |last3=Hinsliff}}</ref>

Following the resignation of [[Baroness Warsi]] during the [[2014 Israel–Gaza conflict]], Mitchell criticised repeated Israeli attacks on UN schools and called for an arms embargo, warning that the misery suffered by an "enormous number of innocent people" was poisoning attitudes.<ref name=pat>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/aug/06/israel-arms-embargo-andrew-mitchell-gaza|author=Patrick Wintour, Matthew Taylor and Dominic Smith|title=Israel should face arms embargo, former government minister says|date=6 August 2014|access-date=6 August 2014}}</ref>

=== International Development Secretary (2010–2012) ===
[[File:Andrew Mitchell and Aung San Suu Kyi meet schoolchildren in Burma (6357585947).jpg|thumb|Mitchell and human rights activist [[Aung San Suu Kyi]] meet schoolchildren in [[Myanmar]], 2011.]]
Following the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|general election]] and formation of the [[Cameron–Clegg coalition|Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition]] in May 2010, he became [[Secretary of State for International Development]].

Mitchell travelled to countries in need of aid. He visited [[Pakistan]] during the floods in 2010 and returned the following year. He also visited [[Haiti]], to see the effects of the earthquake, and [[Somalia]] and [[Libya]] in 2011. He also addressed the United Nations General Assembly in 2010 to press the case for greater support for the developing world, strongly criticised the developed world for failing in its responsibilities towards it, and announced that Britain would double its aid contribution to Pakistan.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.blinkx.com/watch-video/andrew-mitchell-attacks-flood-response-in-un-address/rgWNDSvVAnxdg1hvDl8MBA |publisher=ITN News |title=Andrew Mitchell Attacks Flood Response in UN Address |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916195441/http://www.blinkx.com/watch-video/andrew-mitchell-attacks-flood-response-in-un-address/rgWNDSvVAnxdg1hvDl8MBA |archive-date=16 September 2012 }}</ref>[[File:Andrew Mitchell meets Michelle Bachelet, head of UN Women.jpg|thumb|Mitchell with [[Michelle Bachelet]], head of UN Women]]Both in Opposition and Government, Mitchell asserted the need for transparency and value for money in British aid contributions to the developing world, with resources concentrated on the world's poorest and most troubled countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/7068243/coffee-house-interview-andrew-mitchell.thtml |title=Coffee House Interview: Andrew Mitchell |work=The Spectator Magazine Online) |date=7 March 2011 |access-date=9 May 2011}}</ref>
During the [[2011 Battle of Tripoli]], Mitchell said that the UK had learned [[Investment in post-invasion Iraq|from Iraq]] and had laid the groundwork for a post-Gaddafi Libya. While emphasising that the transition should be Libyan-led, he said that Libya's allies had outlined steps to ensure a smooth transition. He added, "We have made clear that there should be no revenge attacks," and, "Libyans have to work together for a new Libya. They should keep in place the sinews of security. The [[National Transitional Council]] (NTC) in [[Benghazi]] has good informal connections with security officials in [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]] and has told them: 'You've got a job, please help us keep stability'." He added that "Divisions between the rebels groups are overstated. The way the National Transitional Council has reached out gives us some confidence."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2011/aug/22/libyans-must-avoid-revenge-attacks |title=Libyans must avoid post-Gaddafi revenge attacks, says Britain | location=London | work=The Guardian |first=Mark |last=Tran |date=22 August 2011}}</ref>

Mitchell accepted that a smaller aid budget might have meant fewer cuts elsewhere, but insisted that development projects also helped protect Britain. "Our security is not just provided by soldiers and tanks and fighter jets, it is also provided by training the police in Afghanistan, by building up governance structures in the Middle East and by getting girls into school in the Horn of Africa," he said, "Those things are all part of what makes us safer."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9029330/Foreign-aid-keeps-us-safe-insists-Andrew-Mitchell.html |work=The Daily Telegraph |first=James |last=Kirkup |title=Foreign aid keeps us safe, insists Andrew Mitchell |date=20 January 2012 |location=London}}</ref>

====Praise in debate====
On 1 July 2010, at the end of a debate on global poverty in the House of Commons,<ref>[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm100701/debtext/100701-0021.htm Global Poverty Debate] – www.parliament.uk (1 July 2010 : Column 1104)</ref><ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/house_of_commons/newsid_8777000/8777159.stm Global Poverty Debate] – BBC Democracy Live 1 July 2010 (Quotation made 4 hrs, 3 mins 55 secs into the debate)</ref> the Minister of State for International Development, [[Alan Duncan]], quoted the journalist [[Jon Snow (journalist)|Jon Snow]] as having said, "Andrew Mitchell is unquestionably the best prepared Secretary of State&nbsp;– nobody has waited longer in the wings and everyone in the sector knows of his commitment to the sector".

====Aid transparency====
[[File:Minister Mitchell visits Niger (52693059668).jpg|thumb|Mitchell visits [[Niger]] in 2023 to announce a fund for the [[Sahel]].]]
Both in Opposition, and later as Secretary of State for International Development, Mitchell repeatedly asserted the need for transparency in aid donations to other countries, with contributions fully accounted for and published, and announced his intention for Britain to lead the world in this transparency.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/06/coalition-deserves-praise-for-leading-the-world-on-aid-transparency/ |title=Coalition deserves praise for leading world on aid transparency |publisher=Left Foot Forward|date=7 June 2010 }}</ref> He made clear that value for money in aid donations was of critical importance and provided a guarantee that British legislation would be amended to ensure that Britain's aid contributions would be maintained at 0.7 per cent of UK GNI (Gross National Income) by 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://resultsuk.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/queens-speech-includes-commitment-to-spend-0-7-on-development-aid-from-2013/ |title=Queen's speech includes commitment to spend 0.7% on development aid from 2013 |work=RESULTS Blog |date=25 May 2010}}</ref> He also asked former international envoy and Liberal Democrat leader [[Paddy Ashdown]] to conduct a review of the UK's response to international humanitarian disasters, such as the [[2010 Haiti earthquake]], to see whether lessons could be learned from them.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10632453 |title=Lord Ashdown to review UK's humanitarian aid response |work=BBC News |date=14 July 2010}}</ref>

====Aid to Rwanda====
On his final day as International Development Secretary, Mitchell authorised the payment of £16 million of previously suspended aid to Rwanda, half of Britain's annual aid to Rwanda. The aid had been suspended in July, along with other governments' aid, over concerns about Rwanda's alleged support of the rebel [[March 23 Movement]] in [[M23 rebellion (2012–2013)|east Democratic Republic of the Congo]].<ref name=bbc-20121108>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20250025 |title=Andrew Mitchell denies 'rogue' action over Rwanda aid |publisher=BBC |date=8 November 2012 |access-date=30 November 2012}}</ref><ref name=bbc-20121017>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19973366 |title=Rwanda defence chief leads DR Congo rebels, UN report says |publisher=BBC |date=17 October 2012 |access-date=21 November 2012}}</ref> Mitchell's successor stopped further aid payments as Rwanda had breached agreements,<ref name=bbc-20121130>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20553872 |title=UK stops 21m aid payment to Rwanda |publisher=BBC |date=30 November 2012 |access-date=30 November 2012}}</ref> and following the publication of a [[United Nations Security Council]] investigators' report which provided evidence that Rwanda had supplied guns, money and recruits to the rebels contrary to [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1807]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.channel4.com/media/c4-news/pdf/congo.pdf |title=Letter dated 26 June 2012 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1533 (2004) concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo addressed to the President of the Security Council |author=Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo |publisher=United Nations Security Council |id=S/2012/348/Add.1 |date=27 June 2012 |access-date=30 November 2012}}</ref> and engaged directly in combat to help the rebels capture territory.<ref name=telegraph-20121124>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/rwanda/9700913/Britains-aid-to-Rwanda-is-funding-a-repressive-regime-says-former-Kagame-official.html |title=Britain's aid to Rwanda is funding a 'repressive regime' says former Kagame official |author=Jonathan Miller |newspaper=Daily Telegraph |date=24 November 2012 |access-date=30 November 2012 |location=London}}</ref>

The [[International Development Select Committee]] launched an inquiry into the suspending, then subsequent authorisation, of budget support to Rwanda.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/international-development-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/uk-aid-to-rwanda-/ |title=UK aid to Rwanda |author=International Development Select Committee |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=2 December 2012}}</ref> On 30 November 2012 the committee published its report criticising Mitchell for restoring the funding, stating "We do not understand how [Mitchell] reached the conclusion that support for the M23 had ceased", which was one of the three conditions that the Prime Minister had set for the resumption of aid.<ref name=telegraph->{{cite news |url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/davidblair/100192371/the-british-government-and-andrew-mitchell-got-it-badly-wrong-on-rwandas-secret-war-in-the-congo/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130163859/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/davidblair/100192371/the-british-government-and-andrew-mitchell-got-it-badly-wrong-on-rwandas-secret-war-in-the-congo/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 November 2012 |title=The British Government and Andrew Mitchell got it badly wrong on Rwanda's secret war in the Congo |author=David Blair |newspaper=Daily Telegraph |date=30 November 2012 |access-date=2 December 2012 |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmintdev/726/72602.htm |title=UK Aid to Rwanda |author=International Development Select Committee |work=Seventh Report of Session 2012–13 |publisher=UK Parliament |id=HC 726 |date=30 November 2012 |access-date=2 December 2012}}</ref>

=== Chief Whip and "Plebgate" (2012) ===
{{Main|Plebgate}}
In September 2012, Mitchell was appointed Government [[Chief Whip]] in [[David Cameron]]'s first significant [[Cabinet reshuffle]].

On the evening of 19 September, Mitchell allegedly swore when a police officer told him to dismount from a bicycle and exit [[Downing Street]] through the pedestrian gate rather than the main gate. The leaked official police log of the incident stated that Mitchell said "Best you learn your fucking place. You don't run this fucking government...You're fucking [[Pleb#Modern usage|plebs]]".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/9563847/Police-log-reveals-details-of-Andrew-Mitchells-pleb-rant.html |title=Police log reveals details of Andrew Mitchell's 'pleb' rant |work=The Telegraph |date=24 September 2012 |location=London |first=Robert |last=Winnett}}</ref> The allegations became known in the media as "[[Plebgate]]".<ref name="Channel 4 News">{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/news/andrew-mitchell-announces-resignation-over-plebgate-claims|title=Andrew Mitchell announces resignation over 'plebgate' claims|work=Channel 4 News|date=19 September 2012}}</ref>

Mitchell's alleged comments attracted strong criticism from some branches of the [[Police Federation of England and Wales|Police Federation]], and from police officers in general, not least because they came on the day after the [[Murders of Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone|murder of two police officers in Manchester]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Laville |first1=Sandra |last2=Watt |first2=Nicholas |last3=Dodd |first3=Vikram |title=Plebgate: the police, the Tory party and the ex-chief whip |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/dec/19/plebgate-andrew-mitchell-police-conservatives |access-date=7 October 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=19 December 2012}}</ref>

In response to the allegations, Mitchell apologised, but disputed many of the details of the accusations, in particular that he had used the word "pleb". He later resigned on 19 October.<ref name="Channel 4 News"/>

In December 2012, [[CCTV]] evidence was published in the media which appeared to contradict the police account of the incident, along with evidence that an email corroborating the police account and purporting to be sent by a member of the public to their MP was actually sent by an off-duty police officer who was not at the scene. Additionally, a claim by [[Police Federation of England and Wales|Police Federation]] officers from the [[West Midlands Police]] who met Mitchell that he refused to give his side of events was contradicted by a recording of the meeting, made by Mitchell himself, and subsequently released to the media.<ref name=cctv>{{cite news |url=http://www.channel4.com/news/andrew-mitchell-plebgate-police-cctv-downing-street |title=CCTV casts doubt on account of Andrew Mitchell exchange |work=[[Channel 4 News]] |date=18 December 2012}}</ref> The [[Metropolitan Police]] investigation of both the leak of the police log and the discrepancies between it and other accounts was known as [[Operation Alice]].

Mitchell strongly disputed the police account of the incident in statements to the media, and in an article in ''[[The Sunday Times]]'' alleged the police officers were involved in a "cynical smear campaign".<ref name="Riposte by Andrew Mitchell">{{cite web|url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/newsreview/article1181665.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322011803/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/newsreview/article1181665.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 March 2013 |title= It's an Unfair Cop|work=The Sunday Times|date=23 December 2012}}</ref>

Operation Alice resulted in one police officer, Constable Keith Wallis, being charged with misconduct in a public office, for sending an email in which he falsely claimed to be an ordinary member of the public who had witnessed the alleged incident from the public footpath outside the Downing Street gates. On 10 January 2014, Wallis pleaded guilty to the charge. Wallis was dismissed from the police force and three other police officers who were involved in aspects of 'Plebgate' were dismissed for gross misconduct.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24548645 |title='Plebgate' row: Timeline |publisher=BBC |date=30 April 2014|accessdate=25 May 2022}}</ref> Following Wallis' conviction, Mitchell received a public apology from the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, [[Bernard Hogan-Howe]], and fellow MPs called for him to be reappointed to the cabinet.<ref>{{cite news| last1=Davenport| first1=Justin| last2=Cecil| first2=Nicholas| date= 10 January 2014| title=Plebgate scandal: Met police apology to Andrew Mitchell after officer admits lie| url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/plebgate-scandal-met-police-apology-to-andrew-mitchell-after-officer-admits-lie-9051453.html| newspaper=Evening Standard|location=London| publisher=Evening Standard Limited}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Halliday|first=Josh|title=Plebgate row: police officer pleads guilty|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/10/plebgate-row-police-officer-pleads-guilty|access-date=12 January 2014|newspaper=The Guardian|date=10 January 2014}}</ref>

Mitchell launched a [[Civil law (legal system)|civil]] [[English defamation law|libel case]] against UK newspaper ''[[The Sun (United Kingdom)|The Sun]]'', which had first published reports of the affair. He was countersued by PC Toby Rowland, the officer who had been on duty at the Downing Street gate. On 27 November 2014, [[John Mitting|Mr Justice Mitting]] ruled against Mitchell, describing his behaviour as childish and saying: "I am satisfied at least on the balance of probabilities that Mr Mitchell did speak the words alleged or something so close to them as to amount to the same including the politically toxic word pleb". In consequence, Mitchell lost the libel cases against both ''The Sun'' and PC Rowland and became liable for both parties' costs, which were estimated at £2m. Mitchell said he was "bitterly disappointed".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30235009|title=Andrew Mitchell 'probably called police plebs', judge rules |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=27 November 2014 |website=BBC News | access-date=27 November 2014 }}</ref> On 30 January 2015, court papers revealed that News Group newspapers offered a deal on 19 September 2014 which would have allowed Mitchell to avoid liability for the legal costs incurred by the media organisation up to that date. However, the offer did not include any apology from the publisher and Mitchell turned it down. The media organisation's legal costs subsequently increased by at least £500,000.<ref name="yahoo">{{cite web |date=19 October 2012 |title=Minister Mitchell quits over "pleb" police outburst |url=http://uk.news.yahoo.com/minister-mitchell-quits-police-outburst-173059164--business.html |access-date=19 October 2012}}</ref>

PC Rowland successfully sued Mitchell for libel and agreed to accept a payment of £80,000 in damages.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31729808|title=Andrew Mitchell in £80,000 libel payout to 'plebgate' PC|work=BBC News|date=4 March 2015|access-date=22 August 2016}}</ref><ref name="BBC News 30 January 2015">{{cite web | title= Plebgate row: Andrew Mitchell 'turned down libel settlement'| url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31056997| author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->| date= 30 January 2015| website= BBC News | access-date=30 January 2015}}</ref>

=== Backbenches (2012–2022) ===
Speaking in January 2018, to the Jesus College, Cambridge, Debating Society, Mitchell expressed the belief that [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] would win the next general election and [[Jeremy Corbyn]] would become the next prime minister. Mitchell explained that this was a prospect he regarded with apprehension, and speculated that under a Labour Government borrowing and [[tax]]ation would increase drastically.<ref>{{cite news |date=25 January 2018 |title=Tory grandee says Corbyn will be next Prime Minister |url=https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2018/01/25/tory-grandee-says-corbyn-will-be-next-prime-minister-105480 |access-date=29 January 2018 |work=The Tab – University of Cambridge}}</ref>

In October 2018, Mitchell said that by supporting the [[Saudi Arabian–led intervention in Yemen|Saudi coalition]] "Britain is complicit in creating" a [[famine in Yemen]].<ref>{{cite news |date=31 October 2018 |title=Britain 'complicit' in Yemen famine, Tory ex-cabinet minister warns amid calls to end arm sales |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-civil-war-saudi-arabia-arms-sales-uk-famine-coalition-houthi-rebels-a8609516.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-civil-war-saudi-arabia-arms-sales-uk-famine-coalition-houthi-rebels-a8609516.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |work=The Independent}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

On 31 January 2022, after [[Boris Johnson]] issued a statement to the house about the interim report by [[Sue Gray (civil servant)|Sue Gray]], into the [[Partygate]] scandal, Mitchell announced that he no longer supported the Prime Minister.<ref>{{cite news |date=31 January 2022 |title=Sutton Coldfield Tory MP withdraws support for Boris Johnson |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-60205883 |work=BBC News}}</ref> Mitchell had previously been one of Johnson's longest supporters. In 1993, Johnson attempted to stand as a Conservative candidate in the [[1994 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|1994 European Parliament elections]]. Mitchell convinced Prime Minister [[John Major]], who was critical of Johnson, not to veto Johnson's candidacy, but Johnson could not find a constituency.{{sfn|Purnell|2011|pp=162–165}}

=== Development and Africa Minister (2022–2024) ===
After serving on the backbenches for over a decade, Mitchell returned to the government under Prime Minister [[Rishi Sunak]] and was appointed to a cabinet attending role as [[Minister of State for Development and Africa]] in the [[Sunak ministry]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Minister of State (Development and Africa) – GOV.UK |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state-development-and-africa |access-date=7 November 2022 |website=www.gov.uk}}</ref>

Following the [[November 2023 British cabinet reshuffle]], former Prime Minister [[David Cameron]] became [[Foreign Secretary (United Kingdom)|Foreign Secretary]], which left Mitchell as the most senior foreign office official in the House of Commons.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-30 |title=Andrew Mitchell's new job title doesn't resolve how to best scrutinise Lords ministers like David Cameron |url=https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/andrew-mitchell-new-job-title-lords-ministers-scrutiny |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=Institute for Government |language=en}}</ref> Because of this, Mitchell was appointed to the honorific title of Deputy Foreign Secretary on 12 April 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ministerial Appointments: 12 April 2024 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-12-april-2024 |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref>

=== Return to opposition (2024–present) ===
Following the Conservative party's defeat in the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]], Cameron resigned from the frontbench and Mitchell was appointed to what would have been Cameron's position [[Shadow Foreign Secretary]] in the [[Shadow Cabinet of Rishi Sunak]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-08 |title=Sunak names interim shadow cabinet as David Cameron resigns |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crgm3g37klko |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=UK politics live: Lord Cameron resigns as Rishi Sunak announces interim shadow cabinet |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/czk0r339evgt |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Following the election of [[Kemi Badenoch]] as [[Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)|Leader of the Opposition]] in November 2024, Mitchell was replaced as Shadow Foreign Secretary by [[Priti Patel|Dame Priti Patel]] and left the [[Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom)|Shadow Cabinet]].<ref>[https://members.parliament.uk/opposition/cabinet UK Parliament, MPs and Lords, His Majesty's Official Opposition]</ref>

==Work as an MP==

===Keep Justice Local campaign===
In 2002, Mitchell led the successful Keep Justice Local campaign across his constituency of Sutton Coldfield to safeguard the 50-year-old Magistrates' Court from closure. He presented a petition signed by more than 5,500 constituents, protesting at plans to transfer the court's work to Birmingham.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2010/06/25/sutton-coldfield-mp-andrew-mitchell-to-lead-campaign-to-keep-sutton-coldfield-magistrates-court-from-closure-97319-26720952/ |title=Sutton Coldfield MP Andrew Mitchell to Lead Campaign |work=The Birmingham Mail|date=25 June 2010 }}</ref>

However, its closure was again announced in December 2010 by the government in which Mitchell was by then a minister.  He said, "We must now ensure that there's a widespread local discussion about the future of the site and the building. I know that our councillors are already looking at how best we can do this".<ref>http://www.thisissuttoncoldfield.co.uk/news/Local-justice-brought-end-Sutton-court-axed/article-3015492-detail/article.html {{dead link|date=September 2012}}</ref> The site was subsequently sold to the Sutton Coldfield Muslim Association in 2012 and converted into a [[Mosque|Masjid]].<ref>[https://birminghamheritageweek.co.uk/event/sutton-coldfield-masjid/ Birmingham Heritage Week, Sutton Coldfield Masjid]</ref>

===Voting record===
In 1994, as MP for [[Gedling (UK Parliament constituency)|Gedling]], Mitchell voted in the House of Commons for the restoration of the death penalty; the motion was defeated 383–186.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/return-of-death-penalty-rejected-by-big-majority-mps-deliver-decisive-verdict-on-move-to-bring-back-hanging-stephen-goodwin-reports-1395660.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/return-of-death-penalty-rejected-by-big-majority-mps-deliver-decisive-verdict-on-move-to-bring-back-hanging-stephen-goodwin-reports-1395660.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Return of death penalty rejected by big majority: MPs deliver decisive verdict on move to bring back hanging |work=The Independent |date=22 February 1994 |location=London |first=Stephen |last=Goodwin}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Between 2001 and 2010, as MP for [[Sutton Coldfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Sutton Coldfield]], his House of Commons voting record shows that he voted for limiting climate change, civil partnerships for gay couples, greater autonomy for schools, a UK referendum on the EU Lisbon Treaty, replacement of Trident, the invasion of Iraq and the subsequent Iraq investigation, and limiting pollution from civil aviation. During the same period, he voted against ID cards, the closure of post offices, both 42 days' and 90 days' detention without charge or trial, the DNA database, closer EU integration, the relaxation of gambling laws, [[Section 28]] (although in 1988 he had voted in favour),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lgbtnetwork.eu/?p=4927 |title=How the Cabinet Voted |publisher=lgbtnetwork.eu |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308170310/http://www.lgbtnetwork.eu/?p=4927 |archive-date=8 March 2012 }}</ref> employment discrimination against gay people, the legalisation of recreational drugs, a fully elected House of Lords, and a ban on fox hunting.<ref name="auto">{{cite web
|url=http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=andrew_mitchell |title=Andrew Mitchell MP – Voting Record |work=PublicWhip}}</ref>

In 2013 Mitchell voted against the legalisation of same-sex marriage and also voted for an amendment to the bill which would have allowed a government registrar to opt out of performing marriage ceremonies 'to which he had a conscientious objection'.<ref name="auto"/> He was ranked by the ''Liberal Democrat Voice'' (connected to, but not part of, the Liberal Democrat Party) as one of the least authoritarian members of Parliament, scoring 3 out of 100 points for his votes between 2005 and 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rank.libdemvoice.org/sutton-coldfield/andrew-mitchell/ |title=Authoritarian vs Liberal – Andrew Mitchell |work=Liberal Democrat Voice |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825160242/http://rank.libdemvoice.org/sutton-coldfield/andrew-mitchell/ |archive-date=25 August 2011 }}</ref> with a joint ranking of 542 out of 619.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rank.libdemvoice.org/ranked/ |title=Authoritarian vs Liberal (Full list of MPs) |work=Liberal Democrat Voice |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825155920/http://rank.libdemvoice.org/ranked/ |archive-date=25 August 2011 }}</ref>

Mitchell supported continued membership of the [[European Union]] in the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|2016 referendum]].<ref>{{cite news | last = Dixon | first = Anabelle | title = 40 Brexit troublemakers to watch | url = https://www.politico.eu/list/brexit-40-troublemakers-ranking/heidi-allen/ | work = [[Politico Europe|Politico]] | date = 9 November 2017 | access-date = 27 August 2018}}</ref>

==Controversies==
===Allegations of lobbying on behalf of donors===
An article in ''The Sunday Times'' newspaper on 30 October 2010, quoted by ''[[The Guardian]]'' newspaper the following day, claimed that Mitchell had pressured the Foreign Office and colleagues to lobby Ghana (successfully) for the lifting of a trading ban on a cocoa company, [[Armajaro]], which had been a repeated donor to Mitchell's parliamentary office and also a donor to the Conservative Party. Ghana had imposed the ban as the company was believed to have been smuggling cocoa out of the country. However, when questioned by [[ITV News]] on 2 November about his role in the case, Mitchell said that he had a duty as a member of the government to respond to the company's requests, as it was registered as a British company, and that the government had a responsibility to promote British trade. He argued that he had seen no evidence that the Ghanaian government's suspicions about the company in question had been substantiated, and that the claim that he had acted improperly on behalf of a party donor was unreasonable, as the company had ceased to donate to both the Conservative Party and his parliamentary office several years earlier.<ref>''ITV Lunchtime News'', ITV1 2 November 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/oct/31/andrew-mitchell-ghana-cocoa-armajaro |work=The Guardian |title=Tory minister 'intervened on behalf of cocoa millionaire' |date=31 October 2010 |first1=Ben |last1=Quinn |first2=Paul |last2=Gallagher |location=London}}</ref>

===Allegations of tax avoidance===
In 2006, Mitchell invested funds in privately owned firms implicated in a tax avoidance scheme.<ref name="Telegraph290312">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/9172731/Andrew-Mitchell-held-shares-in-company-which-avoided-millions-in-stamp-duty.html |work=The Daily Telegraph |title=Andrew Mitchell held shares in company which avoided millions in stamp duty |date= 29 March 2012|access-date=1 November 2017 |location=London}}</ref> According to ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', a subsidiary of DV3 purchased the lease on the Dickins & Jones department store building in central London for £65.1 million and sold it a month later to a partnership controlled by DV3 for £65,100, thus avoiding stamp duty.<ref name="Telegraph290312"/> The loophole, although legal, was reported by ''[[The Times]]'' to be considered "aggressive tax avoidance" by [[HM Revenue and Customs|Revenue & Customs]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Brown|first1=David|last2=Mostrous|first2=Alexi |title=Minister's investment avoided £2.6m in stamp duty
|work=The Times|date=29 March 2012}} {{subscription required}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Mitchell is married to Dr Sharon Bennett, a [[General practitioner|GP]] and a former dentist,<ref>''Nottingham Recorder'' Thursday 10 January 1991, page 11</ref> and has two daughters, born December 1987 and December 1990.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.conservatives.com/People/Members_of_Parliament/Mitchell_Andrew.aspx |title=Andrew Mitchell |publisher=Conservatives.com |date=24 August 2010 |access-date=29 August 2010}}</ref> He maintains a residence in his constituency of [[Sutton Coldfield]] and primarily lives in [[Islington]], London.<ref>{{cite web |first=Samira |last=Shackle |author2=Stephanie Hegarty |author3=George Eaton |author-link3=George Eaton (journalist) |url=http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2009/10/oxford-universitywealth-school |title=The new ruling class |work=New Statesman |date=1 October 2009}}</ref> In the 1980s, he lived at [[Tithby]] in [[Rushcliffe]], west of [[Langar, Nottinghamshire|Langar]].<ref>''Nottingham Evening Post'' Tuesday 15 December 1987, page 10</ref><ref>''Nottingham Recorder'' Thursday 22 January 1987, page 10</ref> He married in August 1985 at [[St Bartholomew-the-Great]], in central London.<ref>''Nottingham Evening Post'' Friday 23 August 1985, page 10</ref>

Mitchell is a trustee of International Inspiration – a charity that promotes access to sport, play and physical exercise in low and middle income countries around the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.internationalinspiration.org/meet-board |title=Meet the Board |access-date=1 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021071956/http://www.internationalinspiration.org/meet-board |archive-date=21 October 2014 }}</ref> He sits on the Board of Trustees alongside [[Sebastian Coe]], [[Katherine Grainger]] and [[David Davies (football administrator)|David Davies]].

Mitchell was previously a trustee of the E. M. Radiation Research Trust,<ref>[http://archive.radiationresearch.org/conference/ EM Radiation Research Trust] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003194951/http://archive.radiationresearch.org/conference/ |date=3 October 2011 }} Andrew Mitchell, Conservative MP, is listed at the bottom of the webpage, together with other members of the Board of Trustees, dated 2003–2009.</ref> now known as the Radiation Research Trust,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radiationresearch.org/component/content/article/10-uncategorised/48-old-news|title=Radiation Research – Radiation Research|last=Manager|access-date=22 August 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825191747/http://www.radiationresearch.org/component/content/article/10-uncategorised/48-old-news|archive-date=25 August 2016}}</ref> which conducts research into radiation emissions, from sites such as mobile phone masts. He was also a senior strategy adviser for consultants [[Accenture]]. He is also [[Freeman of the City of London]] and a [[Liveryman]] of the [[Vintners' Company]].

In 2010, Mitchell was sworn in as a [[Privy Council (United Kingdom)|Privy Councillor]]. On 11 April 2025, Mitchell was appointed a Knight Commander of the [[Order of Saint Michael and Saint George]] in former Prime Minister [[Rishi Sunak]]'s Resignation Honours list.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/resignation-honours-and-peerages-april-2025 |title= Resignation Honours and Peerages: April 2025|work=gov.uk |access-date=11 April 2025}}</ref>

Mitchell is a member of the Burgundian [[bacchanalian fraternity]], the [[Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin]].<ref name="Swire2021">{{cite book|last=Swire|first=Sasha|title=Diary of an MP's wife : inside and outside power|publisher=[[Abacus (publishers)]]|year=2021|isbn=978-0-349-14440-5|oclc=1162879855|page=79}}</ref>

In April 2025, Mitchell was appointed a [[Order of St Michael and St George|Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]] (KCMG) in the [[2024 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours]] by [[Rishi Sunak]] "for political and public service".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=11 April 2025 |title=Resignation Honours April 2025 |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67f905f16812c7adcf513f44/Resignation_Honours_List_2025.pdf}}</ref>

==Publications==

* ''Beyond a Fringe : Tales from a reformed Establishment lackey'' (Biteback Publishing, London, 2021)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book |last=Purnell |first=Sonia |author-link=Sonia Purnell|title=Just Boris: Boris Johnson: The Irresistible Rise of a Political Celebrity |publisher=Aurum Press Ltd |location=London |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-84513-665-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/justborisirresis0000purn }}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Andrew Mitchell}}
*[http://www.andrew-mitchell-mp.co.uk/ Andrew Mitchell MP] ''official constituency website''
*{{UK MP links | parliament = mr-andrew-mitchell/1211 | hansard = mr-andrew-mitchell | hansardcurr = 1926 | guardian = 6134/andrew-mitchell | publicwhip = Andrew_Mitchell | theywork = andrew_mitchell | record = Andrew-Mitchell/Sutton-Coldfield/426 | bbc = 25190.stm | journalisted = andrew-mitchell }}
*[https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/mpdb/html/452.stm Profile: Andrew Mitchell] ''BBC News'', 10 February 2005
*[http://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=3256 Pan-African Free Trade Agreement: Helping Africa through Free Trade]&nbsp;– Andrew Mitchell talks at the [[Cato Institute]]
*[http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/m/1916/Andrew+John.aspx ''Debrett's People of Today'']
*{{C-SPAN|1001073}}{{dead link|date=April 2024}}
*[https://www.africaintelligence.com/the-continent/2023/09/15/rishi-sunak-s-new-blood-to-boost-ties-with-africa%2C110043148-gra Rishi Sunak's new blood to boost ties with Africa], Africa Intelligence, 15 September 2023 (requires free registration)

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