Dame Cressida Dick 'felt intimidated' into stepping down, review finds

Dame Cressida Dick was in effect “constructively dismissed” by Sadiq Khan, a report has concluded.

Sir Tom Winsor, who conducted a review of the process, said the Mayor of London had failed to follow due process, and had left the former Met Commissioner her with “no option” but to step down as the head of Scotland Yard in February.

Dame Cressida announced she was resigning as Met Commissioner after Mr Khan’s staff told he intended to announce he had lost trust and confidence in her leadership.

In the report, Sir Tom said: "Due process was not followed by the Mayor of London and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime in their taking of actions which led, on 10 February 2022, to Dame Cressida Dick stepping aside as Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.

"The Commissioner is not an employee of the Mayor, but she was in effect constructively dismissed by him."

It followed a series of scandals in which the commissioner had been accused of failing to get a grip on allegations of misogyny and racism within the force.

In the report - which was commissioned by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary - Sir Tom said: “She was left in a position whereby she felt, even if others might have felt differently, that she had no option but to announce that she would step aside, in part to protect the Metropolitan Police itself.

“The circumstances in which she reached that view had been largely created by the actions of the Mayor and his staff.

“No good reason has been identified as to why such a resolution had to be reached on 10 February 2022 itself.” 

Review is 'clearly biased', says Sadiq Khan

But Mr Khan has accused Sir Tom of "bias" and is understood to have instructed lawyers to challenge the findings.

In a statement he said: “Londoners will be able to see that this review is clearly biased and ignores the facts. 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.”

A source close to the Mayor added: “This is a biased report, commissioned by the Tory government and conducted by a friend of the former Commissioner.  It’s an attack on London democracy and a complete waste of taxpayers’ money. 

"It’s not worth the paper it’s written on. Of course the Mayor should hold a failing Commissioner to account after an litany of scandals – that’s exactly what Londoners elected him to do. 

"This is typical behaviour from a zombie government that would rather have a political argument than properly fund the police and preventative services, which have been decimated by 12 years of Tory cuts.” 

'Sadiq Khan should apologise'

Susan Hall, leader of the Conservatives at the London Assembly, called on Mr Khan to apologise.

Ms Hall said: "This independent report raises serious concerns about how the mayor treats senior staff, his lack of respect for due process, and his mismanagement of the Met Police.

"For Sadiq Khan to respond to criticisms of his conduct by hurling baseless accusations of bias at the investigators proves their point entirely. He should take responsibility, reflect on his mistakes, and apologise."

Responding to Sir Tom's report, Ms Patel said: "I hope now that those responsible for delivering policing in London - as well as those responsible for holding the Met to account - will concentrate their efforts on delivering safer streets for the capital and restoring integrity in policing.

"Public confidence in the Met has been dented by a series of appalling incidents and it is vital that failings are addressed and professional standards restored to the level that Londoners deserve.

"The police need to ensure that they get the basics right, which should include a relentless focus on cutting neighbourhood crime and the serious violence that has blighted too many communities."

Outlining the events that led up to the resignation of the Commissioner, Sir Tom’s report stated: “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.” 

Reference: The Telegraph: Martin Evans, Charles Hymas