London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 27, 2026

Met police to be branded ‘institutionally sexist’ in landmark review

Met police to be branded ‘institutionally sexist’ in landmark review

Review of Met will call for leadership shake-up and more scrutiny by Mayor
The Metropolitan Police is set to be branded “institutionally sexist” in a landmark report into the scandal-hit force. Baroness Dame Louise Casey’s review, due to be published on Tuesday, is also set to make similar findings about racism and homophobia in the force, the Standard understands.

She was appointed to compile the report in response to the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by Wayne Couzens, who was a serving officer with Scotland Yard. The report, which comes in the wake of the crimes committed by Couzens, serial rapist David Carrick and other scandals, will also call for major improvements to the Met’s leadership and more rigorous monitoring of the force by Mayor Sadiq Khan.

It is expected to say the Mayor must reset City Hall’s relationship with the force. Mr Khan is set to be told to fix the “historic dysfunctional relationship” between police chiefs and the Mayor’s Office of Crime and Policing.

The force lacks a powerful regulator and MPs have become “frustrated” with the Met over its lack of transparency, with politicians struggling to get answers from senior officers.

The report is also expected to outline how management has failed to learn from “wider criticism” of high-profile cases and continued to have a “defensive culture”. It will be fiercely condemnatory of how Scotland Yard allowed the rot which has infected parts of the force to set in and express dismay about the damage to public confidence.

It comes as the toxic unit where Couzens and Carrick worked is facing the axe as part of an overhaul of disciplinary processes. Baroness Casey is understood to be calling for the effective dismantling of Scotland Yard’s parliamentary and diplomatic protection command.

Other proposed changes include strengthening disciplinary rules to ensure that more officers, including those involved in misogyny, racism or homophobia, can be dismissed for gross misconduct.

The Met is already bracing itself for one of the bleakest days in its history with Deputy Commissioner Dame Lynne Owens warning that the findings will create “raw” emotions while giving the majority of good officers the chance to “reset where needed”.

She pleaded for “calm reflection” over the findings.

The plea is unlikely to dampen the response when Baroness Casey’s damning 300-page report is published on Tuesday.

The finding that the force is “institutionally sexist” would echo the view of Dame Diana Johnson, the chair of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, who said in January that she viewed the Met as institutionally sexist because of its culture and the extent of misogyny in its ranks.

A section in the report on transparency in the Met is expected to point to the killing of unarmed Jermaine Baker in 2015 and the unsolved murder of Daniel Morgan.

Mr Baker was shot dead by a police marksman during a foiled attempt to break out an inmate from a prison van in 2015. A judge ruled the killing was lawful but there were failings at almost every stage of the operation.

Private investigator Mr Morgan, who allegedly had evidence of police corruption, was murdered in a pub car park in Sydenham in 1987.

Former Met Police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, who was forced out of her job by Mr Khan last year, may have breached standards over the case of the murdered private investigator, the police watchdog found.

Home Office sources on Monday played down suggestions that changes could include breaking up the Met by stripping it of the national counter-terrorism command and transferring it instead to the National Crime Agency.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Education or Indoctrination? The Growing Debate Over Religious Participation in British Schools
Germany's Vanishing Shopfronts: The Silent Collapse of the Businesses That Built Its Cities
Transport for London Unveils Expanded Zero-Emission Bus Fleet to Meet Capital Air Quality Targets
Higher Education Institutions Face Deepening Financial Strain Amid Declining International Student Enrolment
Automotive Industry Leaders Criticize Government Tax Policies and Urge Action on Retail Consumer Confidence
Environment Agency Issues Flood Alerts Across Scottish and English Waterways Following Heavy Rainfall
Independent Audit Highlights Persistent Security Vulnerabilities Across Legacy Government Digital Portals
Northern Ireland Political Leaders Clash Over Westminster Funding Allocations Ahead of Autumn Budget
Ethnic Minorities in England Face Significant Disparities in Routine Breast Cancer Diagnosis Rates
National Police Chiefs Report Alarming Surge in Domestic Abuse Cases Fuelled by Expanding Illegal Cocaine Market
Government Announces Two Hundred and Twenty Million Pound Pothole Funding Boost for Local Highway Authorities
China Issues Formal Warning Over Potential United Kingdom Restrictions on Chinese Electric Vehicles
British Defence Ministers Sign E5 Pact to Enhance European Military Capabilities and Industrial Cooperation Within NATO
United Kingdom Business Activity Expands at Fastest Pace in Eight Months According to S&P Global Flash Survey
Chancellor John Healey Prepares Major Devolution Package and Bank Profit Surcharge Ahead of Upcoming Autumn Budget
National Health Service Consultants in England Announce Two-Day Strike Action Scheduled for November
Major Clean-Up Under Way Across Britain Following Destruction Caused by Consecutive Storms Austen and Boelo
KEY TRENDS TO WATCH
Declassified Intelligence Files Reveal British Security Services Monitored National Health Service Founder
British Government Launches Sweeping Regulatory Crackdown on High-Risk Cosmetic Procedures
Scottish National Party Demands Ban on Using Scottish Revenues to Fund English Nuclear Energy Projects
Mayor of London Initiates Landmark Pedestrianisation of Oxford Street to Revitalise Global Retail Hub
British Judges Granted Expanded Legal Powers to Punish Convicted Killers Who Refuse to Attend Sentencing
United Kingdom Poised to Miss Reduced International Aid Spending Targets Ahead of Fiscal Review
Surging Cocaine Consumption Drives Record Drug Fatalities and Rising Crime Rates Across Britain
Department of Health and Social Care Announces One Hundred and Forty Million Pound Boost for Urgent Care
British Services Sector Records Strongest Growth in Eight Months Despite Broader Economic Uncertainty
United Kingdom Retail Sales Suffer Unexpected Decline as Consumer Confidence Plummets
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham Urges National Debate on Restoring European Union Free Movement
Deep Cabinet Divisions Emerge Over Controversial Approval of North Sea Fossil Fuel Projects
United Kingdom Government Urges Citizens to Stockpile Essential Supplies in National Resilience Pivot
Storm Boelo Kills Two People and Cuts Power to Tens of Thousands Across Great Britain
Critical Software Flaw Forces Dozens of United Kingdom Government Services Offline Amid Mass Security Warnings
UK Consumer Confidence Tumbles Amid Rising Energy Costs and Global Commodity Price Pressures
North Sea Transition Authority Approves Production from Jackdaw Gas Field to Bolster Domestic Energy Security
Storm Boelo Leaves Tens of Thousands of Households Without Power Across Scotland and Northern Ireland
UK Government Launches National Be Ready Campaign Urging Households to Prepare Three Days of Emergency Supplies
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Implements Stricter Water Quality Regulations for British Rivers
Welsh Government Launches Major Renewable Energy Initiative to Expand Offshore Wind Capacity Along the Coast
Northern Ireland Executive Reaches Final Agreement on Comprehensive Regional Infrastructure Modernization Plan
Office for National Statistics Reports Moderate Increase in British Retail Sales Driven by Autumn Discounts
Scottish First Minister Announces Emergency Housing Strategy to Tackle Severe Homelessness Across Urban Centers
Automotive Industry Leaders in the United Kingdom Urge Government Support for Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Transition
United Kingdom and European Union Initiate High-Level Negotiations on Post-Brexit Defense and Security Pact
National Health Service England Introduces Sweeping Digital Reforms to Reduce Hospital Waiting Lists Nationwide
Chancellor of the Exchequer Outlines Emergency Fiscal Measures to Address Local Government Funding Crises Across England
Bank of England Governor Warns of Persistent Inflation Pressures Impacting Interest Rate Decisions in the United Kingdom
UK Conservative Party Suspends Former Electoral Candidate Following Undercover Investigation
Actors and Writers Condemn British Anti Terror Legislation Targeting Activist Groups and Free Speech
Central Bank and Treasury Monitor Inflation Risks as International Monetary Fund Upgrades United Kingdom Growth Forecast
×