Daily Mail 3rd October 2008
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has attacked London Mayor Boris Johnson over his handling of the departure of Britain's most senior police officer.
Sir Ian Blair was ousted from office yesterday hours after damaging new sleaze allegations were made against him.
Boris Johnson brought his disastrous reign as Scotland Yard chief to an end at an acrimonious showdown. The Tory Mayor of London said he had no confidence in the commissioner.
Last night on Question Time, Jacqui Smith she said: 'There's a process in place that the Mayor chose not to respect.'
Resignation: Sir Ian Blair announced he is quitting the Met after new London Mayor Boris Johnson told him he was no longer wanted
She said: "What is important when you are both choosing and when you're supporting somebody that you're asking to do a job like that is that you keep party politics out of it. You need to work alongside people and frankly you should put some time and effort into that.
"The Mayor said on the first day in his job he didn't feel he had confidence in Sir Ian and that's why he took the decision to resign."
The Daily Mail had revealed yesterday that Sir Ian had used public money to pay a close friend a five-figure sum for an image make-over.
The extraordinary deal was unearthed in an official investigation into Sir Ian's dealings with a firm run by Andy Miller, his friend of 30 years.
For his numerous enemies, it was the last straw for the policeman once dubbed 'New Labour's Favourite Cop'.
He becomes the first chief of Scotland Yard to resign for professional reasons since the days of Jack the Ripper in the 1880s.
In his three and a half years at the top, Oxford-educated Sir Ian, 55, has been dogged by doubts over his judgement, credentials and political correctness.
Fraught relationship: London Mayor Boris Johnson (left) stated he was keen for Sir Ian (right) to go
Controversy and infighting engulfed his last weeks in office after he was accused of racism by ethnic-minority officers. These included the country's top Asian policeman Tarique Ghaffur, whom the Met chief put on gardening leave last month.
Another senior ethnic-minority officer, Commander Ali Dizaei, was suspended last month over misconduct allegations.
A virtual state of paralysis ensued at the top of the Met, with Sir Ian's most senior officers regarding him as a lame-duck leader.
de Menezes was shot dead after police mistook him for a suicide bomber" class="blkBorder" width="233" height="423">Chaos: Jean-Charles de Menezes was shot dead after police mistook him for a suicide bomber
But Sir Ian, who has 16 months remaining on his five-year contract, will not be out of pocket despite stepping down in disgrace.
The married father of two will be eligible for a tax-free lump sum pension payout of around £600,000 - as well as an index-linked income of £115,000 a year.
Disciplinary action over the awarding of £3million worth of police contracts to Mr Miller's firm is thought unlikely.
Sir Ian will formally step down on December 1. That means he is likely to be in the post at the end of the inquest into the shooting of innocent Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell Tube station in July 2005.
Whatever the verdict of the inquest jury, Sir Ian is likely to apologise once again to the family of the dead man.
His departure is a political coup for the Tories. The Mail has learned that Gordon Brown personally called Sir Ian and asked him not to resign. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith also asked him to reconsider.
But Sir Ian, a long-time darling of the New Labour leadership, said he could not continue without Mr Johnson's support. He said the Mayor had told him on Wednesday he wanted a 'change in leadership' at the top of the Met.
Mr Johnson took over as chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority, the force's watchdog, on Wednesday.
In a solemn TV address, Sir Ian, dressed in civilian clothes, defended his record at the top of the Met. He said he would leave the job after Miss Smith had 'reluctantly but graciously' accepted his resignation.
'I am resigning not because of any failures of my service and not because the pressures of the office and the many stories that surround it are too much,' he said, pointedly ignoring the numerous bungles which have mired his term in office.
'I am resigning in the best interests of the people of London and of the Metropolitan Police Service.'
He said he had wanted to stay on until his contract ran out in February 2010, adding: 'However, at a meeting the new Mayor made clear, in a very pleasant and determined way, that he wished there to be a change of leadership at the Met.'
Sir Ian Blair at a Sikh Gurdwara: The Met's relationship with some community groups had been riddled with problems
He failed to address questions about his competence or integrity, only saying his departure was not 'because of any failures'.
A team of officers led by HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Ronnie Flanagan is investigating payments of millions of pounds to Impact Plus, a firm run by Mr Miller.
Inquiries by the Mail over Sir Ian's alleged handing of contracts to his friend sparked crisis meetings at the Metropolitan Police Authority over the past few days.
Discussions about the damaging claims culminated on Wednesday - the day Mr Johnson took control of the authority.
Critics said the resignation is a serious blow to the credibility of the Government - which had backed Sir Ian in previous blunders - and Miss Smith in particular.
The Home Secretary repeatedly stood by Sir Ian, yet opposition parties were calling for his resignation as long ago as last November.
Miss Smith - to the incredulity of Whitehall officials - also refused to play a role in ending the infighting between senior staff that has marred Sir Ian's reign. She told officials she did not believe it was 'her job'.
Last night, Dominic Grieve, the Tory shadow home secretary, accused Miss Smith and her Cabinet colleagues of a 'serious lack of judgment'.
He said: 'This is the right decision. We have been calling for Sir Ian to step down for almost a year - since the serial and systematic failings at the Metropolitan Police disclosed during the De Menezes trial - while Cabinet ministers from the PM onward continued to express total confidence in him.
'It is now clear they have shown a serious lack of judgment about the leadership of the most important police force in Britain.'
The Liberal Democrats pointed to the Mail's revelations about the handing of contracts to a friend as a significant factor in his downfall.
Chris Huhne, their home affairs spokesman, said: 'Sir Ian Blair had become part of the Met's problem, not its solution.'
In a statement, Mr Johnson paid tribute to Sir Ian's record but said it was time for 'new leadership' at the top of the force.
Last night the family of Mr De Menezes released a statement saying that the resignation of Sir Ian changed nothing for them.
'Sir Ian Blair should have been ultimately accountable for the death of Jean Charles de Menezes,' they said. 'We believe he certainly bears responsibility for the lies told about Jean, the cover-up by the police in the aftermath of the shooting.'
UK Lockdown point of view
UK Lockdown are always happy to see the back of Traitors like Blair he only ever served the interests of the EU police state agenda and did nothing to fight crime in our society, maybe killing innocent people such as Jean-Charles de Menezes and then lying to the public about it was his idea of fighting crime, either way its no surprise to see Jacqui Smith another enemy working to introduce the EU police state rushing to his defence, good riddance Mr Blair we hope you rot in hell for your crimes against our country and for being a lying murderer.
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