A Tory source said: “As the Police and Crime Commissioner in charge of the Metropolitan Police, [Mr Khan] let Londoners down.
“While other forces in our country have made real strides in making streets safer, the Labor Mayor of London has slept behind the wheel and is now the Police and Crime Commissioner in charge of the largest force in special measures. “
A source close to Mr Khan said he would “draw no lessons” from Ms Patel, who had argued with Boris Johnson against his “decisive action” on Dame Cressida to restore trust in the police.
“He will not draw lessons from the policing work of the Home Secretary, who was clearly happy with the status quo and did not want action to be taken,” the source said.
“The Home Secretary oversees police in England and a significant number of the troops she oversees are now on special measures. That fact tells you all you need to know about policing under this Tory government.”
Both Ms Patel and Mr Khan publicly supported the decision of the police inspectorate on Tuesday. “I expect the Met and the Mayor of London to take immediate action to begin addressing” [the failings]’ said Mrs Patel.
It is clear that concerns had been raised within the police force over the apparently “unnecessarily lenient” approach by the inspectorate and failure to intervene at the Met, despite successive scandals, including the Charing Cross outcry, where officers joked about rape and racism.
‘Significant and ongoing concerns’
The decision to place it under special measures is believed to have been recommended by Matt Parr, the region’s superintendent, and approved by Andy Cooke, who took up the position of Chief Inspector earlier this year.
In a letter to the Met, Parr said there were “significant and ongoing concerns” about the police. He also cited systemic flaws” around anti-corruption measures put forth by the independent panel in the unsolved murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan.
Sir Stephen House, the Acting Commissioner, and the new Commissioner, together with Mr Khan, will have to draw up an action plan that the Inspectorate will assess. Only when “sufficient and consistent improvement” has been implemented will the force be discharged from “special measures”.
It comes as the race to succeed Dame Cressida has narrowed down to a final two, who are both Met insiders: Mark Rowley, a former head of counter-terrorism, and Nick Ephgrave, currently part of the armed forces’ top leadership.
A source said “restoring public confidence” should be at the heart of the action plan. “It is useful for the new commissioner. It is a launch pad for reform and could help them do that,” they said.