London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

Boris Johnson faces backlash after pushing former Met chief for NCA role

Boris Johnson faces backlash after pushing former Met chief for NCA role

Lady Diana Brittan and ex-MP Harvey Proctor say Lord Hogan-Howe, who oversaw Operation Midland, should be ruled out
Boris Johnson’s attempt to appoint a former Metropolitan police commissioner into another senior police role has prompted a furious backlash from three high-profile victims of the VIP paedophile ring scandal.

The widow of the late former home secretary Leon Brittan, the family of the late war hero Lord Bramall, and the former Tory MP Harvey Proctor have demanded that the prime minister reconsider whether Bernard Hogan-Howe is suitable to be the head of the National Crime Agency after presiding over the disastrous Operation Midland.

Under Lord Hogan-Howe, Met officers raided the homes of all three men after receiving claims of ritualistic child abuse and murder from a single person. It later emerged that the source for the claims, Carl Beech, known as ‘“Nick’”, was a fantasist whose lies were believed by officers.

Johnson, a close associate of Hogan-Howe, has requested that he is considered for the role, despite his rejection by an independent panel. At present, there is a shortlist of two highly qualified police chiefs who had been interviewed by Priti Patel, the home secretary.

Lady Diana Brittan, whose husband died with his reputation under a cloud, said the former Met leader had presided over serious mistakes and was not suitable for another top police role.

“During his time in charge of the Metropolitan police, Lord Hogan-Howe presided over numerous high-profile failures, including the pursuit of baseless allegations against my late husband and there is little evidence that he is a suitable candidate for this role,” she said in a rare public statement. “We must learn the lessons of the past when it comes to the probity and transparency of these public appointments.”

Proctor, who lost his job and home after being arrested for as part of Operation Midland, has written to Johnson saying the police in charge of Operation Midland have been promoted or ennobled.

“Please call a halt to this largesse by not pushing Hogan-Howe into this sinecure at the highest level of UK policing. It would be an error of judgment of the highest degree and be cataclysmic for UK policing,” the letter says.

“You have already repaid his loyalty tenfold. Do not make Hogan-Howe the new director general of the National Crime Agency.”

The sentiments of Proctor’s letter have been endorsed by the family of the late Lord Bramall, a retired field marshal whose home was raided by 20 police officers in 2015 and whose wife died not knowing that he had been cleared of all child abuse allegations. A spokesperson told the Guardian that the family “absolutely supported” Proctor’s request that Hogan-Howe should not be made the head of the NCA.

Sources with knowledge of the process confirmed that Johnson had intervened in the search for a £223,000 job.

The independent panel rejected Hogan-Howe’s application and instead shortlisted Neil Basu, former head of counter-terrorism and Graeme Biggar, the acting director general, it is understood.

Johnson’s intervention has thrown the process into chaos. One source said the job would now be re-advertised while another insisted that Hogan-Howe’s name would be added to the shortlist.

Johnson formed a close working relationship with Hogan-Howe, 64, in his time as mayor of London, and in 2019 the retired Met chief endorsed Johnson to become the Tory leader.

In a video posted on Twitter, Hogan-Howe described Johnson as “incredibly” effective. “I found him to be loyal, honourable and he did what he promised to do.”

The former police chief, who was ennobled in 2017, apologised to victims of the investigation into alleged paedophile rings after a damning independent review uncovered serious failings.

If he is appointed as head of the NCA, Hogan-Howe will succeed Biggar, who became the agency’s interim director general after Dame Lynne Owens retired from the position on health grounds in September last year.

One Conservative peer who was a close associate of Brittan said there would be ‘“uproar’” in parliament if Hogan-Howe was appointed.

“[Hogan-Howe] should not be allowed anywhere near another policing job, given the damage done to the Met’s reputation,” the peer said. “If he is given the job, many of Leon’s friends will speak out, as will the decent Conservatives in the Lords and the Commons.”

Downing Street did not deny that Johnson favoured Hogan-Howe for the role at the NCA, an organisation that focuses on tackling organised crime and national security threats.

The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “There is a fair and open recruitment campaign to recruit this role. I’ve seen the same speculation you have, and while this process is ongoing it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to provide a commentary on potential candidates.

“I think the home secretary is responsible for appointing the director general following consultation with Scottish ministers and the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland, so the PM has no formal role in this process.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×