Cressida Dick quits: Outgoing Met boss heads to work as fall-out continues

Dame Cressida Dick arrived at work smiling in civilian clothes on Friday morning as the fall-out continued between the Home Office and London City Hall following her shock resignation.

The Conservative chair of the London Assembly’s police and crime committee accused Sadiq Khan of leaving a "void" at the top of the Metropolitan Police and said he handled the commissioner's departure "extremely badly".

"Confidence in the police at the moment is at an all-time low and this won’t help," Susan Hall told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 on Friday.

"Ninety-nine per cent of officers are very good, brave officers. They need confidence, they need support, and to have done this in this way, I think Sadiq Khan is completely wrong.

"It will leave a void at the top as opposed to a properly managed handover, which is no way to run a service like this."

Former Deputy Mayor Matthew Ryder QC said Hall's comments should be taken with a "pinch of salt" because she’s a Conservative Party member.

"The problem with Cressida Dick’s leadership over anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-corruption, she was wrong and strong, and you can’t have a police commissioner who is wrong and strong on those critical issues about the values Londoners hold dear," he told the programme.

"Wrong and strong" echoes a Jamaican expression which means "not only are you wrong, but you’re belligerent and stubborn in being wrong".

Ryder added: "He [Khan] thinks the Met can have a leader that does understand the culture. He thinks the Met can improve. We deserve better than a commissioner who has failed to be able to do that over several years."

Presenter Mishal Husain pointed out Dick did acknowledge the problems and apologised when issues came out of the force.

Home Secretary Priti Patel was said to have been angered by Khan’s failure to inform her of his intention to request a meeting with the commissioner, which she considered "rude and unprofessional."

Dick quit on Thursday after losing the support of Khan over her plan to reform the force following a string of scandals and accusations of a toxic working culture.

Sources close to the mayor said she had agreed to carry on serving for a "short period" to allow an orderly transition.