Cressida Dick to step down as Met Police chief

Following a series of damaging controversies, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick has said that she is stepping down from the role.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan made it abundantly clear to her he had no confidence in her leadership, after the police watchdog found ‘disgraceful’ misogyny, discrimination and sex harassment among some Met PCs. The latest controversy came in the shadow over her handling of the Sarah Everard case last year.

After initially stating that she had no intention of stepping aside, Dick then said she had been left with ‘no choice’ after Khan made it clear to her he had no confidence in her leadership. In her resignation statement, Dick said she had ‘agreed to stay for a short period to ensure the stability of the Met’.

The next commissioner will be appointed by Home Secretary Priti Patel, alongside Khan. Frontrunners for the role include Matt Jukes and Neil Basu, who are both assistant Met commissioners. Basu is a former head of counter terrorism whilst Juke is currently acting head of counter terrorism.

Dame Cressida, who served in the role for almost five years and was recently given a two-year contract extension, said in a statement: "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. He has left me no choice but to step aside as commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service."