Dame Cressida Dick (PA)
(Picture: PA)The writing had been on the wall for a while for Dame Cressida Dick, but it wasn’t a single scandal that broke Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s trust, but rather a series of failures at the force that left him to conclude that the trust of Londoners had been “shattered”, a source said.
The recent publication of an IOPC report into the conduct of officers at a Charing Cross police station had been the tinder that lit the fuse, with Mr Khan said to be unhappy with the plan that Dame Cressida had drawn up to deal with the issue, which eventually led to the breakdown of the relationship.
But this is after a string of scandals that involved the murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens, the subsequent reaction of the Met to a vigil held in Ms Everard’s honour and the botched timing of the force’s decision to investigate the partygate allegations made against the prime minister and his running of Downing Street.
Home Secretary Priti Patel is believed to not be happy with the move by Mr Khan, with her plan being to leave Dame Cressida in place at the Met to enact the reform that is so clearly needed of the police force.
What do you think of the timing of Cressida Dick’s resignation? Let us know in the comments below for the chance to be featured on the ES website.
