Race for top job at Met narrows with two candidates left in running

Final two for top job at Scotland Yard 'are both high-calibre candidates'

- Martin Bentham

THE odds on Britain's former counter-terrorism chief Sir Mark Rowley becoming the next Met Commissioner narrowed dramatically today as he was chosen as one of two final contenders for the job.

Sir Mark, who led the country's counter-terrorism command for four years including at the time of the Westminster, Manchester and London Bridge attacks of 2017, will be up against Met Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave in the final interviews for the post.

Four other contenders have been rejected by the Home Office. The last to go was Shaun Sawyer, the outgoing Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall, who had made it through to a final three before being turned down by the Home Office.

The other three candidates were vetoed earlier after an initial "paper sift" of applications.

They included Jon Boutcher, a former Chief Constable of Bedfordshire and Met counter-terror officer who is now leading Operation Kenova into allegations about the involvement of the agent "Stakeknife" in IRA murders.