Andrew Mitchell, the former Tory chief whip at the heart of the "Plebgate affair", has hinted he could be set to make a political comeback as Britain's next European commissioner.
Mitchell was forced to resign last year over claims he swore at police officers and called them "plebs" after they refused to allow him to cycle through the main gates of Downing Street.
But after evidence emerged casting doubt on the police account, The Mail on Sunday reported David Cameron had now offered him the EU post when Baroness Ashton finishes her term as foreign affairs envoy next year.
The offer was said to have been made over a lunch with Cameron and his wife Samantha at the Prime Minister's official country residence at Chequers - a signal of Mitchell's political rehabilitation by No 10.
Interviewed on BBC1's Sunday Politics programme, Mitchell confirmed that he had met Cameron.
"I do see the prime minister from time to time," he said.
He added: "There is a very important job to be done in Europe to make sure that Europe changes in the interests of everyone in Europe but also in the interests of Britain."