Cressida Dick: Sadiq Khan wrongly ousted Met chief - report

Dame Cressida Dick "felt intimidated" into stepping down as Metropolitan Police commissioner after an ultimatum from Sadiq Khan, according to a review.

She quit in February when the mayor of London said he had lost confidence in her leadership.

Priti Patel asked the then chief inspector of constabulary Sir Tom Winsor to carry out a review into the handling of Dame Cressida's exit.

Mr Khan said the review was "clearly biased" and "ignores the facts".

Dame Cressida said the report had found Mr Khan "did not follow due process and at times his behaviour was oppressive, unreasonable, entirely unacceptable and unfair".

Sir Tom's paper also notes that the mayor's actions were "not in accordance with the relevant legislation".

The former commissioner previously said she had to resign after Mr Khan made it clear he had no confidence in her leadership.

It followed cases of sexism and misogyny among some Met officers.

Dame Cressida, the first woman to lead the UK's biggest police force, also faced criticism over the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Met officer last year, and a series of other scandals.

In his 116-page report Sir Tom said: "The mayor, through his chief of staff, gave the commissioner an ultimatum on 10 February 2022: if the commissioner did not attend a meeting and convince the mayor that her plan of 4 February 2022 would be improved, he would make a statement to the media.

"That statement would make clear that he no longer had trust and confidence in the commissioner, and that he intended to start the statutory process for her removal.

"When the commissioner did not attend that meeting, the mayor's chief of staff reiterated the mayor's position and gave her less than one hour to decide what to do.

"She felt intimidated by this process into stepping aside, and I can understand that reaction.

"The commissioner felt that, in the interests of Londoners and the Metropolitan Police, she had to 'step aside', as a prelude to her eventual resignation."

Ms Patel said it was clear to her the Met Police was falling short in getting "the basics right".

Responding to Sir Tom's report Mr Khan said: "On the former commissioner's watch, trust in the police fell to record lows following a litany of terrible scandals.

"What happened was simple - I lost confidence in the former commissioner's ability to make the changes needed and she then chose to stand aside.

"Londoners elected me to hold the Met commissioner to account and that's exactly what I have done.

"I make absolutely no apology for demanding better for London and for putting the interests of the city I love first. I will continue working with the new commissioner to reduce crime and to rebuild trust and confidence in the police."

The circumstances of Dame Cressida's departure were similar to one of her predecessors Sir Ian Blair - who resigned as Met Commissioner in 2008 when the then mayor, Boris Johnson, said he had lost confidence in his leadership.

In a statement Dame Cressida said: "I regret this report was necessary but I hope it will help create a sounder foundation for my successors.

"At all times I sought to uphold the law and act ethically and with goodwill, professionalism, openness and trust.

"I fully respect the need for democratic oversight of policing. It is also important that politicians respect due process and do not break the rules.

"I hope this report is an opportunity for others to reflect on how City Hall functions and is held to account."