Cressida Dick resigns after Khan loses faith
Met Police commissioner Cressida Dick has resigned after Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was unsatisfied with her response to the recent reports of sexual misconduct and racism in the force.
In a statment this evening, Khan confirmed Dick had left her post.
He said: “Last week, I made clear to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner the scale of the change I believe is urgently required to rebuild the trust and confidence of Londoners in the Met and to root out the racism, sexism, homophobia, bullying, discrimination and misogyny that still exists.”
“I am not satisfied with the Commissioner’s response.
“On being informed of this, Dame Cressida Dick has said she will be standing aside. It’s clear that the only way to start to deliver the scale of the change required is to have new leadership right at the top of the Metropolitan Police.”
Khan reportedly called Dick for a meeting this afternoon to tell her he no longer had confidence in her, but Dick declined the invitation and offered her resignation instead.
Dick wrote in a statement that the Mayor had left her “no choice” but to step aside.
She said: “It is with huge sadness that following contact with the Mayor of London today, it is clear that the Mayor no longer has sufficient confidence in my leadership to continue.
The Prime Minister said on Twitter today that Dick had “served her country with great dedication and distinction over many decades.”
“I thank her for her role protecting the public and making our streets safer,” he wrote.
Khan said he will now be working closely with the Home Secretary to appoint a successor, and Dick will remain in post for a short period to ensure an “ordely handover”.
Dick’s resignation follows an interview today in which she indicated she expected to be held accountable for misconduct in the Met but had “absolutely no intention of going”.
“I believe that I am and actually have been for the last 5 years leading a real transformation of the Met,” she said.
In her resignation statement she admitted the murder of Sarah Everard and “many other awful cases recently” have, damaged the public’s confidence in the police.