Cressida Dick resignation: Mayor's media briefing described as childish

Mayor Sadiq Khan was criticised the former chief inspector of constabulary Sir Tom Winsor at the latest City Hall meeting

A briefing by Sadiq Khan's press team about Dame Cressida Dick's departure from the Met Police has been called "amateurish, shoddy and childish".

It was released in September in response to a report that said she had been intimidated into leaving her job.

The report's author, the former chief inspector of constabulary Sir Tom Winsor, also told City Hall he saw the press release as "really poor work".

London's mayor replied he had not been aware of the details of the briefing.

He and Sir Tom both gave evidence in a bad-tempered session before a City Hall committee last month and were called back on Tuesday to answer further questions.

In the press release Sir Tom has criticised, Mr Khan was quoted as saying: "Londoners will be able to see that this review is clearly biased and ignores the facts.

"On the former commissioner's watch, trust in the police fell to record lows following a litany of terrible scandals. What happened was simple - I lost confidence in the former commissioner's ability to make the changes needed and she then chose to stand aside."

Giving evidence for the second time before the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, Sir Tom said that he was surprised at how negative the press release was, adding it was "amateurish, shoddy and childish".

Given that Mr Khan said he had no knowledge of the contents of the press release before it went out, the committee remarked on his quotes in the release, asking him to confirm the remarks.

The mayor replied that he "gives lots of quotes".

Sir Tom Winsor, pictured at the London Assembly committee, had been asked by then-Home Secretary Priti Patel to look at the circumstances surrounding Dame Cressida's resignation

Analysis

By Tim Donovan, BBC London political editor

It's the second time the mayor has sat alongside the man who condemned his actions in an official report and there is little agreement, let alone warmth, between them.

The disagreement over the media briefing is just one bone of contention among many.

The Labour assembly members supporting the mayor are raising questions about a dinner Sir Tom had with Dame Cressida when she was still the Metropolitan Police commissioner.

Sir Tom says they didn't talk about her resignation or her working relationship with London's mayor.

Instead, he says, he wanted answers and assurances from her about how she could restore confidence in the Met - and had not made up his mind - ahead of a meeting he had summoned her to.

She didn't turn up to the meeting - and stood down immediately instead.

Dame Cressida was the first woman to lead the UK's biggest police force.

Ahead of her resignation in February, she faced criticism over a series of scandals at the force including the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Met officer.

Details of racist, misogynist and homophobic messages shared by officers based at Charing Cross, which were published by a watchdog in January after an investigation called Operation Hotton, were "the straw that broke the camel's back", Mr Khan had said.

Dame Cressida said she had had to resign after the Labour mayor made it clear he had no confidence in her leadership.

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