The seven days that cost Cressida Dick her job as Met Police Commissioner

Cressida Dick’s job was on the line the moment she walked into Sadiq Khan’s temporary office a week ago.

The London mayor spent more than 90 minutes in heated exchanges with the commissioner following the publication of a damning report by a police watchdog.

The Independent Office of Police Conduct probe had uncovered homophobia, misogyny, racism and sexism among a group of officers at Charing Cross police station.

The mayor was enraged by the content of WhatsApp messages exchanged between the officers and astonished to learn they were still serving in the Met.

As Dame Cressida emerged from the Greater London Authority's interim HQ in Southwark late on Wednesday afternoon, she told ITV News the meeting with the mayor was ‘productive’.

But a statement from his office a short time later told a different story. A spokesperson described their encounter as ‘frank’.

He was angry that the Met was returning, as he saw it, to the ‘bad days’ of his childhood in the 1970s and 80s, adding Londoners ‘will not put up with this’.

Sadiq Khan had effectively read the riot act to his chief of police.

The following day, he said Dame Cressida had ‘days and weeks’ to come up with an effective plan to restore trust and confidence in the Met.

He also demanded she ‘drive out’ the culture of racism, homophobia, bullying and misogyny still existing within the Met’s ranks.

Dame Cressida responded with a letter delivered to the mayor 24 hours later.

He was considering the contents when Dame Cressida appeared on a local radio station today to say she had no intention of resigning.

Mr Khan, clearly unimpressed by her proposals to reform the Met, told the commissioner he had no confidence in her.

By now, relations between the two had deteriorated to the point of no return.

They were due to meet on Thursday afternoon but instead Dame Cressida cancelled the appointment and said she was resigning.