Dame Cressida Dick to step down

[JamesT]

As Winsor had on a number of occasions, including some at a very late stage, expressed support for Dick, he is hardly likely to be, or at least be seen to be, a totally impartial investigator. However, that is on Patel’s account as she chose him. The Mayor is supposed to hold the Commissioner to account and if s/he fails to deliver an adequate programme to deal with problems, it is not unreasonable for the Mayor to demand a revised and improved programme. If the Commissioner fails to provide such a revised programmme and does not even attend the meeting with the Mayor to explain, it is hardly surprising if the Mayor finally decides that they have had enough. Particularly if the Commissioner seems to be in denial about how serious the problems are and the resultant widespread loss of confidence in the Met.

Note: I don’t live in London and have only followed the story casually, so the above is my opinion, particularly the last sentence.

But the main point of this is that it's not up to the Mayor if he's "had enough". The Commissioner of the Met manages more than just London policing, so hiring and firing them is for the Home Secretary. The Mayor gets some input into appointments, but to suggest the Commissioner has to go if the Mayor is unhappy is an overreach of his powers.
As you've said this is your opinion of the events. I would suggest another interpretation from reading the report is the the Commissioner did submit a plan a week earlier to which the Mayor failed to respond to, but instead made public statements about his loss of confidence. If your boss stopped talking to you, but instead went around badmouthing you, wouldn't you be reluctant to go to a meeting with them?

 

[C J Snarzell]

Because he's incompetent as London Mayor surely the more relevant reason?

I could say exactly the same about the Manchester Mayor. Just a pity we've got another three years to put up with Burnham and his showboating in front of the media.

Again, Burnham (like Khan) threw former GMP chief Ian Hopkins under a bus nearly two years ago.

CJ

 

[Busaholic]

But the main point of this is that it's not up to the Mayor if he's "had enough". The Commissioner of the Met manages more than just London policing, so hiring and firing them is for the Home Secretary. The Mayor gets some input into appointments, but to suggest the Commissioner has to go if the Mayor is unhappy is an overreach of his powers.
As you've said this is your opinion of the events. I would suggest another interpretation from reading the report is the the Commissioner did submit a plan a week earlier to which the Mayor failed to respond to, but instead made public statements about his loss of confidence. If your boss stopped talking to you, but instead went around badmouthing you, wouldn't you be reluctant to go to a meeting with them?

The position hasn't changed legally since 2006, when a certain newly elected Mayor named Johnson as almost his first act forced the resignation of the Commissionner of the Met, Sir Ian Blair. It was accepted by the then Labour government that if the Mayor expressed no confidence in him Blair had to go. What's more, Johnson got his way with the replacement by the predictably useless Hogan-Howe. Now Johnson, as P.M., has his way with stooge Home Secretary Patel to get a shortlist of two replacements for Dick that didn't include the person who just might have started to reform the discredited Met, and present it to Khan as a fait accompli. Makes U.S. politics look clean and above board in comparison.

Appallingly pro-Tory supposedly unbiased commentary on this by the snivelling presenter on Radio 4 PM. programme this afternoon. William Hardcastle and Nick Clarke spinning in their graves, Eddie Mair will be reminding himself why he had to leave the BBC's employ.

 

[JamesT]

The position hasn't changed legally since 2006, when a certain newly elected Mayor named Johnson as almost his first act forced the resignation of the Commissionner of the Met, Sir Ian Blair. It was accepted by the then Labour government that if the Mayor expressed no confidence in him Blair had to go. What's more, Johnson got his way with the replacement by the predictably useless Hogan-Howe. Now Johnson, as P.M., has his way with stooge Home Secretary Patel to get a shortlist of two replacements for Dick that didn't include the person who just might have started to reform the discredited Met, and present it to Khan as a fait accompli. Makes U.S. politics look clean and above board in comparison.

Johnson played fast and loose with process, quelle surprise. Doesn’t make Khan’s actions correct. http://policeauthority.org/metropolitan/publications/standingorders/commissioner/index.html sets out the procedures that have to be followed.

 

[DarloRich]

I doubt if many will be bothered, but it will give the hard line right wing and anti Muslim groups of this country plenty to shout about, unfortunately

And they will

Because he's incompetent as London Mayor surely the more relevant reason?

I don't think the 'hard right' (considering that its apparently made up exclusively of white males) will care less about the interactions between two individuals who in their eyes have been awarded preferential treatment to obtain their position.

Incompetent yet wins elections? He won the last one easily.

As for the hard right they will take any opportunity to attack Khan. You only have to lool at his twitter account to see that!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Sep 2022 ==

If Ms Dick has felt intimidated or concerned she could simply have flagged down a bus for help, as one wag suggested on Twitter today.

I dont buy her being intimidated. She is a senior police officer who must have been in many worse situations throughout her career.