A POLICE officer who accompanied former Government chief whip Andrew Mitchell on two foreign trips has told the High Court that the MP was "unpleasant until he got what he wanted".

Inspector Duncan Johnston, who travelled with the then Secretary of State for International Development to Tunisia in March 2011 and Somalia and Kenya that summer, told London's High Court that the Tory politician seemed to have "no regard for security and I felt as though my professional opinion was worthless."

He added: "The way Mr Mitchell behaved led me to believe that Mr Mitchell thought that if he put enough pressure on us, we would do what we were told.

"He was prone to temper tantrums and, on the second trip, when he was yelling at anyone involved in arranging the visit, I felt he was verging on out of control.

"He was unpleasant until he got what he wanted. He would erupt but then minutes later he would be charming."

Mr Johnston was giving evidence for News Group Newspapers (NGN) and Pc Toby Rowland. Mr Mitchell, 58, is suing NGN for libel over a story about his encounter with Pc Rowland in Downing Street, which alleged he branded officers "f****** plebs". The case continues.