London mayor to face questions over Cressida Dick’s resignation as Met chief
Sadiq Khan will appear at City Hall with Sir Thomas Winsor after clashes between the two over Dame Cressida’s exit as the Met Police commissioner.
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Your support makes all the difference.Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is to face questions over the resignation of Britain’s most senior police officer.
A report found that Dame Cressida Dick, who quit as Metropolitan Police commissioner earlier this year, felt intimidated into leaving her job and that due process was not followed before her departure.
Mr Khan dismissed the findings as “clearly biased” and claimed they ignored “the facts”.
At the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee on Wednesday, Mr Khan will face questions about Dame Cressida’s resignation along with the author of the report, former inspector of constabulary Sir Thomas Winsor.
The Met was buffeted by a series of scandals after the murder of marketing executive Sarah Everard by a serving officer, and is facing one of the most troubled periods in its history.
It is in a form of special measures and has lurched from crisis to crisis over serious problems with the culture in the force, including racist, sexist and homophobic messages sent by officers based at Charing Cross, and the jailing of two officers for sharing images of the bodies of murder victims Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman.
The force has also faced criticism over its counter-corruption measures and problems with misconduct processes that have left hundreds of officers in their jobs who should have been kicked out.
This is on top of national concerns about vetting in England and Wales, which could have left thousands of corrupt officers in post.
Mr Khan was said to have given Dame Cressida an ultimatum in the final weeks of her tenure to make changes to her plans to improve the force or he would issue a statement of no confidence in her.
Her then deputy Sir Stephen House claimed that due process had not been followed and wrote to the Home Office to ask for a review, before Sir Thomas was called in to investigate.
Sir Mark Rowley has since been brought in as Metropolitan Police Commissioner.
The mood between Dame Cressida and Mr Khan was laid bare when he told journalists in October: “We now have a commissioner who’s not in denial.
“He’s not lethargic, he’s not arrogant, he’s not defensive.”