Mayor went 'beyond law' when he fired Cressida as Met chief

Cressida: Khan 'failed to follow due process'

- Martin Bentham

SADIQ KHAN acted beyond the bounds of the law by effectively sacking Dame Cressida Dick as the Met Commissioner this year, an official report by the former police watchdog concluded today.

Sir Thomas Winsor said the Mayor had not followed "due process" in removing his support from Dame Cressida in the wake of a series of scandals and had not acted "in accordance with the legislative scheme, still less its spirit".

Sir Thomas added that Mr Khan had also "failed to respect the dignity of the Commissioner as an individual, and as the holder of high public office", in a damning assessment of the Mayor's conduct in ousting Dame Cressida.

She resigned in February after Mr Khan, who has defiantly defended his actions, went on the media to announce that she had only days to produce an action plan showing how she intended to restore public confidence in her force. But Dame Cressida resigned soon after when the Mayor made clear that he was not satisfied with the blueprint she had drawn up.