London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jul 13, 2025

Met police commissioner: likely candidates to succeed Cressida Dick

Met police commissioner: likely candidates to succeed Cressida Dick

The possible contenders remaining in the race to take the top job in London policing

It is not the done thing for candidates for the Metropolitan police commissionership to publicly discuss their candidacy, and those who apply will face an anxious wait to see if they have made the shortlist.

Mark Rowley


Of the possible candidates remaining, Mark Rowley is a proven operator under intense pressure on a national stage. He was head of counter-terrorism in 2017 when Britain was hit by a wave of terror attacks in London and Manchester.

Rowley was close to the commissioner before Cressida Dick, Bernard Hogan-Howe, and seen as intelligent and a moderniser.

He applied in 2017 and lost out to Dick. One strike against him then was tension with Theresa May, then the home secretary. But in truth, the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, was in the driving seat to select the Met commissioner, and saw a chance to make history by appointing Dick as the first-ever female holder of the top policing post.

Rowley started as a beat officer in the West Midlands, where he was savagely attacked by a gang of football hooligans. He rose to become the chief of Surrey police, joining the Met as an assistant commissioner.

He left policing in 2018. In his time away he co-wrote a report on extremism and also wrote critically of the Met’s use of stop and search.

Shaun Sawyer


As well as being chief constable of the Devon and Constable force, Sawyer leads for police chiefs on performance. That is where he has face time with ministers and officials, and has impressed some. He has had to negotiate a government wanting some measures on performance amid concerns from chiefs it is a return to priority-skewing targets.

Sawyer will stand down as chief of the south-western force in August. His toughest time was the shooting in Plymouth when five people died at the hands of gunman Jake Davison. Police face a hard time explaining their decision to return a gun licence to Davison just before the shooting, having taken it away for an alleged clash in the street.

Sawyer previously served in the Met tackling violence, and also as a commander in counter-terrorism. He recently applied to be the head of the policing inspectorate, losing out to Andy Cooke.

Andy Marsh


“Ticks the boxes,” said one fellow chief, who added: “He is popular with some in the Home Office.” City Hall sources would also be interested in Andy Marsh’s ideas for the Met.

Marsh has recently been appointed as chief executive officer at the College of Policing, which sets the standards for law enforcement. The timing of this appointment may be one factor deterring him from applying for the Met commissionership.

He describes himself as “a transformational chief constable” having led two forces, first Hampshire and then Avon and Somerset. There he suffered the wrath of government when a statue of a slave owner was pulled down and dumped in a canal during Black Lives Matter protests. Some in government thought police should have done more to intervene.

Marsh can talk engagingly about how greater use of data and analytics can boost crime fighting, music to the ears of the policing minister, Kit Malthouse.

Nick Ephgrave


An assistant commissioner in the Met, Ephgrave fronted the Met’s press conference after Wayne Couzens was sentenced to a whole-life term for the murder of Sarah Everard.

Two sources say he may be considering a bid. Few think a Met insider is what government or City Hall want, but Ephgrave can be personable and insightful. He is a former chief of Surrey police.

Matt Jukes


Currently a Met assistant commissioner and head of counter-terrorism, Jukes was a former chief of South Wales police and pioneer of police use of live facial recognition technology, an initiative steeped in controversy. May sit this round out and be a strong contender for deputy commissioner and likely candidate next time.

Not applying


Stephen House, acting commissioner, was Dick’s deputy and the first chief of Police Scotland when all its forces joined to create a single one.

Martin Hewitt, chair of the National Police Chiefs council, is a former Met assistant commissioner who joined policing from the military.

Dave Thompson, outgoing chief of West Midlands, was well regarded but never really fancied the Met’s top job.

Simon Byrne, chief of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, whose reputation as a Met assistant commissioner would have made him the candidate feared by sections of the Met rank and file.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
×