Dame Cressida Dick, with Home Secretary Priti Patel and London Mayor Sadiq Khan (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
(Picture: PA Archive)An official review into the way that Cressida Dick was ousted from her role as Britain’s top police officer was announced on Monday as Home Secretary Priti Patel said she wanted to find out whether proper procedures were followed by London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Ms Patel — who also announced that Dame Cressida’s deputy, Sir Stephen House, will take over as interim Commissioner when Dame Cressida departs in April — said the probe would be conducted by the former chief inspector of constabulary, Sir Tom Winsor, and aim to produce findings by the summer.
She said she was ordering it because the circumstances leading up to Dame Cressida’s resignation last month “warrant further scrutiny” in remarks that threaten to lead to a potentially uncomfortable analysis of Mr Khan’s attitudes towards her in the weeks and months beforehand.
Ms Patel said: “Dame Cressida Dick was at the helm of the Met during extremely tough times, with terror attacks and the pandemic among the challenges she faced. Her dedication to protecting London and Londoners has helped drive down serious violence in the city and for that in particular she deserves our gratitude.
“Sir Steve House, her current deputy, will provide the stability and continuity the force needs as we focus on appointing the right person to lead the country’s largest force and make London an even safer place to live, work and visit.”
The Home Secretary added that Sir Tom will investigate whether “due process” was followed and whether any changes are needed to the law which gave City Hall the key role in determining the Commissioner’s fate.
“It is right that we have appropriate legislation in place to govern the modern policing environment and I believe the circumstances leading up to Dame Cressida’s departure warrant further scrutiny, which is why I have commissioned Sir Tom Winsor to conduct this Review.”
The decision prompted a furious response from City Hall with sources claiming the probe was a “politically motivated” waste of money and a “cynical and childish move” by the Home Secretary to engage in party politics.
Monday’s announcement follows a request by Sir Stephen for a review during an appearance before City Hall’s policing and crime committee in which he accused Mr Khan of acting unlawfully over Dame Cressida’s departure.
The Met Commissioner announced her resignation after being told via her and Mr Khan’s aides that he had no confidence in her ability to transform her force after a series of scandals, including the Charing Cross Whatsapp exchanges between officers and the murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens.
Her decision followed an appearance by the Mayor on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme a day earlier in which he had strongly criticised her leadership of the Met and announced that she had only days or weeks to produce a plan for restoring public trust.
Weeks of haggling over the date and terms of her departure, which are both finally expected to be confirmed imminently and potentially today, have followed.
Dame Cressida is understood to be arguing she was effectively constructively dismissed with City Hall claiming in return that she resigned voluntarily and should not be entitled to anything for the two-year contract extension she was due to start in April.
City Hall is also believed to have sought unsuccessfully to impose a gagging clause on Dame Cressida to prevent her talking about the events leading up to her resignation in an increasingly acrimonious dispute.
