Dame Cressida Dick’s shock resignation last night has sparked a row between the Home Secretary and the Mayor of London.

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner quit after months of pressure amid a series of scandals surrounding the force.

She faced accusations of presiding over a toxic working culture after several officers were found to have sent racist, misogynistic and homophobic messages.

The rape and murder of Sarah Everard at the hands of PC Wayne Couzens also seriously damaged public confidence in the Met.

There was also a great deal of anger over the force’s heavy-handed approach to a vigil held in her memory during Covid restrictions, and now-retracted advice for women in trouble to ‘flag down a bus’.

It is understood a beleaguered Dame Cressida was called to a meeting with Mayor Sadiq Khan at 4.30pm yesterday over her plan to reform the force.

But she declined to to attend, instead offering her resignation, which caught the Home Office by surprise.

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It is understood Khan did not inform Home Secretary Priti Patel of his intention to request a meeting with the Commissioner.

Home Office sources say Patel was not impressed by this and thought it was ‘rude and unprofessional’.

Patel will oversee the appointment of the new commissioner and more details on how she will set about searching for a replacement are expected to be confirmed in due course.

She has final decision on the next appointment, although the process requires her to consult Khan as Mayor, who said he would be ‘working closely’ with the Home Secretary to find a successor.

The search for a replacement comes as the Met investigates Government figures over lockdown-busting Downing Street parties, including Boris Johnson.

He is expected to be among more than 50 individuals in No 10 and Whitehall who will by the end of this week start receiving legal questionnaires from officers working on Operation Hillman.

The Met, which was heavily criticised for its hesitation to launch a probe into the alleged parties, said the investigation continues as normal and remains under the control of Commander Catherine Roper.

Rank and file officers reacted with sadness to Dame Cressida’s departure, with Metropolitan Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh claiming she had been treated unfairly.

‘She was much loved across the rank and file of the Metropolitan Police Service,’ he said.

‘We feel the way she has been treated is wholly unfair and we did believe that she was the person who could take us through this and bring us out the other side.’

But others were delighted by the news, including former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, whose house was raided under Operation Midland.

Raids were carried out based on false allegations by jailed fantasist Carl Beech about a murderous VIP paedophile ring.

‘It is now time to clean the Augean stables so that a full inquiry can be conducted on all her personal mistakes,’ Proctor said.

Harriet Wistrich, director of the Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ) charity, said: ‘There were far too many stories of officers accused of violence and abuse still in their jobs and of whistle-blowers victimised instead of listened too.

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‘Cressida Dick’s response to these series of stories has been wholly inadequate and her description of Wayne Couzens as a “wrong un” meaningless next to the mounting evidence of multiple allegations of abuse and policing failures to tackle violence against women and racism.’

Dame Cressida announced she was stepping down from the job just hours after insisting she had no intention of going during an interview with the BBC.

In her statement, she said: ‘It is with huge sadness that following contact with the Mayor of London today, it is clear that the mayor no longer has sufficient confidence in my leadership to continue.

‘He has left me no choice but to step aside as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.’

Khan earlier this week indicated that Dame Cressida’s future hung in the balance due to ‘racism, sexism, homophobia, bullying, discrimination and misogyny’ within the force.

Yesterday he said: ‘It’s clear that the only way to start to deliver the scale of the change required is to have new leadership right at the top of the Metropolitan Police.’

Patel, who reportedly had past clashes with Dame Cressida, praised the officer’s ‘steadfast dedication’, adding: ‘She would be the first to say that she has held the role during challenging times.

‘Yet for nearly five years she has undertaken her duties with a steadfast dedication to protecting our capital city and its people, including during the unprecedented period of the pandemic.’

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