In These New Times

Under-fire Sir Ian Blair quits as head of Scotland Yard
By LIZ HAZELTON and STEPHEN WRIGHT
2nd October 2008 Daily Mail

A statement about Sir Ian Blair’s future is expected this afternoon

Met chief Sir Ian Blair today quit as head of the Metropolitan Police.

The beleaguered Scotland Yard boss was due to make a statement this afternoon in the wake of crunch talks with Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

It is expected he will announce his resignation later today, claiming that it is a personal decision.

But there is already widespread speculation about the timing.

The move comes just days before new London Mayor Boris Johnson takes direct control of the Metropolitan Police Authority.

It is believed he was keen to to oust Sir Ian from his post.

And it also follows fresh revelations in this morning’s Daily Mail that he paid a close-friend a five-figure sum to sharpen his image.

Sir Ian’s three-and-a-half-year reign as Britain’s top police chief has been mired in controversy.

The most serious crisis he faced was the death of innocent Brazilian Jean-Charles de Menezes, who was shot dead by armed officers at Stockwell tube station after being mistaken for a suicide bomber.

In the aftermath of the killing, it emerged that the operation had been chaotic and beset by intelligence blunders.

There were also claims that Sir Ian, who was due to serve as Commissioner until 2010, had misled the public by stating de Menezes had been acting suspiciously.

He was cleared of the accusation last year.

In recent months the Yard has been riven by infighting after the eruption of a bitter race war involving some of its most senior commanders.

The turmoil led to Sir Ian effectively suspending the country’s top Asian policeman, Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, for holding a press conference to outline his racial discrimination claims against the force.

Another senior officer, Commander Ali Dizaei, was suspended earlier this month by the Metropolitan Police Authority pending an investigation into his conduct.

As a result, the Metropolitan Black Police Association (MetBPA) has severed links with senior managers at the Met and accused the force of conducting a “sustained witch-hunt”.

Today fresh allegations emerged about Sir Ian’s relationship with image consultant Andy Miller, a close personal friend.

Mr Miller’s company, which was paid with public money, briefed Sir Ian on his communications strategy, leadership style and the messages he should hammer home

But incredibly, no other firm was invited to bid for the so-called ‘vanity-contract’, understood to be worth more than £150,000.

Fraught relationship: London Mayor Boris Johnson (left) has already stated he is keen for Sir Ian (right) to go

It is claimed that Scotland Yard paid the firm more than £3 million over six years.
In the past, the Met chief has also made insensitive public comments about the Soham murders and secretly recorded a phone conversation with the Attorney General.

Sir Ian’s expected resignation comes at the same time as the inquest into the Stockwell shooting in July 2005.

He is due to give evidence to the jury, which has heard of the turmoil surrounding the botched operation.

In the past few months, there has been growing tension between Sir Ian, who has been dubbed ‘Labour’s favourite copper’, and the new Tory London mayor Boris Johnson.

Mr Johnson is due to take control of the Metropolitan Police Authority next week.

He had called for the Met boss to step down before he was elected as mayor.

There have also been reports that he was considering a vote of no confidence in his Commissioner.

Privately, City Hall sources made clear that the policeman’s contract should not be renewed when it expires in February.

Chaos: Jean-Charles de Menezes was shot dead after police mistook him for a suicide bomber. It was the biggest crisis of Sir Ian’s reign at Scotland Yard

Deputy Commissioner Sir Paul Stevenson is likely to take over Sir Ian’s post until a permanent replacement is appointed.

The former Lancashire chief constable memorably told Mr Ghaffur to ‘shut up’ and get on with his job.

Other candidates include Northern Ireland police chief Sir Hugh Orde, a protege of Stevens, and Sir Ronnie Flanagan, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary.

However after today’s meeting of the region’s Policing Board Sir Hugh appeared to rule out a move away from the region in the near future.

He said: ‘I’ve only just been made aware that some statement is going to be made and, as I said at today’s board meeting, my concern currently is to protect the community of Northern Ireland and to deal with the dissident republican threat and that is where 100 per cent of my energy currently is.’

Sir Ian, 55, joined the Metropolitan Police in 1974 as a police constable on the Soho beat.

He served as a constable, sergeant and inspector before moving to take charge of Kentish Town CID in 1985.

During his time in the post he was responsible for the identification of those killed at the King’s Cross disaster.

Over the next few years he continued to climb through the ranks before being made Assistant Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police in 1994.

He returned to the Met in 2000 as a Deputy Commissioner before succeeding Sir John Stevens as Met Police Commissioner in February 2005.

He was awarded a knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, 2003, for his services to policing.

Despite his service record, he will be the first serving Commissioner to step down before completing his term for nearly a century.

The last was James Munro, who resigned in 1890 after failing to catch Jack the Ripper.