The findings come from a special commission held by Sir Tom Winsor, the former chief inspector of police, following Dick’s decision to stand down in February. A government-commissioned draft report finds that Sadiq Khan did not follow due process and that Dick suffered unfair treatment, calling the mayor’s actions and decision-making “absurd” and “absurd”. An enraged Khan consults lawyers and believes the report is biased and wrong. The report also states that the mayor’s treatment of Dick was “oppressive” and that she was subjected to undue pressure. In a letter of protest to Home Secretary Priti Patel, Khan said Winsor had publicly supported Dick, whose tenure as commissioner ended in a series of scandals engulfing the Met. Khan wrote: “While Sir Tom has inexplicably refused to provide me with a final version of his report to you, his draft findings … were clearly biased and in many cases outside his remit and not supported by the evidence.” The letter accused Winsor of treating allegations by Dick and her allies about her treatment as true: “It is clear from the draft provided and subsequent exchanges that she intends to present as fact the reports from the previous Commissioner and the team while ignoring or downplaying the extensive contradictory evidence provided’. Winsor is expected to argue that he did a thorough job and was fair and balanced, with his conclusion based on the facts. His report went to the home secretary earlier this week and may be published next week. He was selected to conduct the investigation by Patel after he stepped down in March as the superintendent of police after 10 years. Khan made his decision after losing confidence in Dick’s understanding of the depth of the Met’s problems and her ability to stop the force losing public support during her five years in office. Two months after Dick’s departure, the Met suffered the humiliation of being put into special measures for the first time since it was founded in 1829. The decision was made by Winsor’s successor as chief inspector of police. As well as being mayor of London, Khan is the capital’s police and crime commissioner and is jointly responsible with the home secretary for policing in London. After a public confrontation with him, Dick chose to resign rather than attend a meeting with Khan after making it clear that her plans for reform were insufficient. In his letter to Patel, Khan said of Winsor: “He seems to have omitted many facts about [Dick’s] departure as commissioner, including any of the heinous scandals that occurred on her watch – including the photo shoot [by force members] of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman and then sharing them with other serving officers and the killing of Sarah Everard by a serving officer. “Sir Tom Winsor has acknowledged almost none of the multitude of scandals that have occurred over the past two years, many of which you and I discussed at the time, which has led to my loss of confidence in the commissioner.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Multiple sources close to Patel, in the months before Dick’s departure, told the Guardian of their serious concern about the Met under Dick. Crucially, neither the Home Office nor Boris Johnson’s Downing Street tried to publicly rescue her when she fell out with the mayor. The process for removing a commissioner is set out in legislation, which requires the mayor to state in writing the reasons for the loss of confidence. Hahn did not, arguing that the requirement did not apply because Dick chose to resign rather than attend a meeting with him. A spokesman for the mayor said: “The mayor has lost confidence in the commissioner following a series of scandals which have seen confidence in the Met police hit record lows. We will not be providing ongoing commentary on the leaked draft reports.” The report from Winsor represents a victory for Dick and her allies. Her deputy, Sir Stephen House, had called for the inquiry, claiming that due process had not been followed. Dick walked away with a £166,000 severance package, negotiated with City Hall. Her replacement, Sir Mark Rowley, is due to start as commissioner on 12 September. Winsor declined to comment.
