Cressida Dick to leave role in April after five years as Met Police commissioner
Tap above to watch video report by Simon Harris
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick will leave her role in April, Priti Patel has confirmed as she ordered an inquiry into the circumstances which resulted in her resignation last month.
The home secretary said the senior police officer's replacement will be named in the summer.
In a written statement to the Commons on Monday, Ms Patel said her resignation will be reviewed by the outgoing chief inspector of constabulary Sir Tom Winsor.
Dame Cressida quit after losing the backing of London Mayor Sadiq Khan over her plan to reform the force during a string of scandals and allegations of a toxic working culture.
The inquiry has sparked a row between the Home Office and City Hall, with a source close to Mr Khan saying it is "absolutely bizarre" for Ms Patel to order an inquiry.
The home secretary said: "Dame Cressida Dick will conclude her tenure as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service in April. She deserves our profound gratitude for her decades of public service and leadership in policing, as well as our best wishes for the future.
"Dame Cressida has shown exceptional dedication to fighting crime in London and beyond throughout her time as Commissioner, as the first woman to hold the role of Commissioner.
"The circumstances in which the outgoing MPS Commissioner is leaving her role warrant a closer look at the legislation which governs the suspension and removal of the Commissioner.
"I am pleased to announce that Sir Tom Winsor will be undertaking a formal review into the circumstances and implications of Dame Cressida's departure."
City Hall struck back with a source saying: "It’s absolutely bizarre that the home secretary has decided to waste taxpayers’ money on a politically-motivated inquiry to defend the Met Commissioner when in the past two weeks alone the commissioner has overseen another two devastating scandals at the Met.
"This is a cynical and childish move from a home secretary that is more interested in petty politics than in doing her job of keeping the public safe and fixing her refugee scheme for families fleeing Ukraine."
In full: Dame Cressida Dick announces resignation as Met Police commissioner
The Home Office said the review, to begin on April 1 and expected to finish by the summer, will aim to:
Establish and assess the full facts, timeline of events and circumstances which resulted in the stepping aside of Dame Cressida
Consider whether due process was followed
Include recommendations on how accountability and due process may be strengthened
Dame Cressida Dick - who became Met commissioner in April 2017 - quit on February 11 after the mayor expressed his displeasure with her response to widespread public outrage over offensive messages exchanged by a group of officers based at Charing Cross police station.
Her resignation, which came hours after she said in a media interview she had no intention of quitting, was greeted with dismay by many officers.
Deputy commissioner Sir Steve House wrote to Ms Patel calling for a review of Dame Cressida's treatment by Mr Khan, saying due process had not been followed.
Dame Cressida and City Hall had also disagreed over whether she should receive a payout and sign a gagging order, The Times reported.
A spokesperson for the mayor defended him in response to Ms Patel’s inquiry, saying public trust in Scotland Yard is "at the lowest level on record, following a series of devastating scandals including the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer and the overt racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia and discrimination exposed at Charing Cross Police Station".
"The Mayor is clear that the Met’s next leader must demonstrate they understand the depths of the problems faced by the force and have a plan to restore the trust and confidence of Londoners," they added.