London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Nov 18, 2025

Metropolitan Police has real problems, Sadiq Khan says

Metropolitan Police has real problems, Sadiq Khan says

Sadiq Khan has described the Metropolitan Police as a force facing "real challenges" and "real problems".

London's Labour mayor told Sophie Raworth on BBC One's Sunday Morning that evidence of "systemic sexism, racism, homophobia, discrimination, misogyny" had emerged in recent months.

While he "recognised the dedicated, decent, brave officers" on the force he said its new commissioner would need to work at restoring trust and confidence.

The role has yet to be filled.

Stephen House became acting commissioner when Dame Cressida Dick quit in February after Mr Khan said he had lost confidence in her leadership.

Her departure followed a series of scandals, including the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving policeman and her handling of racist and homophobic messages shared by a group of officers at Charing Cross police station.

Dame Cressida Dick resigned after Sadiq Khan criticised her handling of racist, misogynist and homophobic messages shared by a group of officers


Mr Khan said: "One of the reasons why i lost confidence in the previous commissioner was my lack of confidence in her plan to address the two big issues.

"Addressing the systemic racism, sexism, homophobia, misogyny, but also the trust and confidence required from our public.

"That's one of the things that they will be checking the new commissioner for."

When asked if the Met Police was a "failing force", Mr Khan said: "We're losing trust and confidence, so if that's the criteria of measurement, you could say so.

"But actually, in relation to crime going down... we're making huge progress.

"The police have made really good progress in the last six years in reducing those crimes but I can't escape the fact that too many people on our city haven't got the confidence they should have in our police service."

Last year, the Met announced an independent review of its culture and standards would be led by Baroness Casey of Blackstock.

The force said the review would examine its vetting, recruitment and training procedures, as well as looking into cases of sexual misconduct and sexual abuse allegations where those accused remain in the Met.

"This significant piece of work is part of a range of measures that aim to help restore the trust of Londoners in the aftermath of the horrific murder of Sarah Everard by a Metropolitan Police Officer and other cases that have undermined trust," the force said at the time.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Unveils Sweeping Asylum Reforms with 20-Year Settlement Wait and Conditional Status
UK Orders Twitter Hacker to Repay £4.1 Million Following 2020 High-Profile Breach
Popeyes UK Eyes Century Mark as Fried-Chicken Chain Accelerates Roll-out
Two-thirds of UK nurses report working while unwell amid staffing crisis
Britain to Reform Human-Rights Laws in Sweeping Asylum Policy Overhaul
Nearly Half of Job Losses Under Labour Government Affect UK Youth
UK Chancellor Reeves Eyes High-Value Home Levy in Budget to Raise Tens of Billions
UK Urges Poland to Choose Swedish Submarines in Multi-Billion € Defence Bid
US Border Czar Tom Homan Declares UK No Longer a ‘Friend’ Amid Intelligence Rift
UK Announces Reversal of Income Tax Hike Plans Ahead of Budget
Starmer Faces Mounting Turmoil as Leaked Briefings Ignite Leadership Plot Rumours
UK Commentator Sami Hamdi Returns Home After US Visa Revocation and Detention
UK Eyes Denmark-Style Asylum Rules in Major Migration Shift
UK Signals Intelligence Freeze Amid US Maritime Drug-Strike Campaign
TikTok Awards UK & Ireland 2025 Celebrates Top Creators Including Max Klymenko as Creator of the Year
UK Growth Nearly Stalls at 0.1% in Q3 as Cyberattack Halts Car Production
Apple Denied Permission to Appeal UK App Store Ruling, Faces Over £1bn Liability
UK Chooses Wylfa for First Small Modular Reactors, Drawing Sharp U.S. Objection
Starmer Faces Growing Labour Backlash as Briefing Sparks Authority Crisis
Reform UK Withdraws from BBC Documentary Amid Legal Storm Over Trump Speech Edit
UK Prime Minister Attempts to Reassert Authority Amid Internal Labour Leadership Drama
UK Upholds Firm Rules on Stablecoins to Shield Financial System
Brussels Divided as UK-EU Reset Stalls Over Budget Access
Prince Harry’s Remembrance Day Essay Expresses Strong Regret at Leaving Britain
UK Unemployment Hits 5% as Wage Growth Slows, Paving Way for Bank of England Rate Cut
Starmer Warns of Resurgent Racism in UK Politics as He Vows Child-Poverty Reforms
UK Grocery Inflation Slows to 4.7% as Supermarkets Launch Pre-Christmas Promotions
UK Government Backs the BBC amid Editing Scandal and Trump Threat of Legal Action
UK Assessment Mis-Estimated Fallout From Palestine Action Ban, Records Reveal
UK Halts Intelligence Sharing with US Amid Lethal Boat-Strike Concerns
King Charles III Leads Britain in Remembrance Sunday Tribute to War Dead
UK Retail Sales Growth Slows as Households Hold Back Ahead of Black Friday and Budget
Shell Pulls Out of Two UK Floating Wind Projects Amid Renewables Retreat
Viagogo Hit With £15 Million Tax Bill After HMRC Transfer-Pricing Inquiry
Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack Pinches UK GDP, Bank of England Says
UK and Germany Sound Alarm on Russian-Satellite Threat to Critical Infrastructure
Former Prince Andrew Faces U.S. Congressional Request for Testimony Amid Brexit of Royal Title
BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness Resign Amid Editing Controversy
Tom Cruise Arrives by Helicopter at UK Scientology Fundraiser Amid Local Protests
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson Face Fresh UK Probes Amid Royal Fallout
Mothers Link Teen Suicides to AI Chatbots in Growing Legal Battle
UK Government to Mirror Denmark’s Tough Immigration Framework in Major Policy Shift
UK Government Turns to Denmark-Style Immigration Reforms to Overhaul Border Rules
UK Chancellor Warned Against Cutting Insulation Funding as Budget Looms
UK Tenant Complaints Hit Record Levels as Rental Sector Faces Mounting Pressure
Apple to Pay Google About One Billion Dollars Annually for Gemini AI to Power Next-Generation Siri
UK Signals Major Shift as Nuclear Arms Race Looms
BBC’s « Celebrity Traitors UK » Finale Breaks Records with 11.1 Million Viewers
UK Spy Case Collapse Highlights Implications for UK-Taiwan Strategic Alignment
On the Road to the Oscars? Meghan Markle to Star in a New Film
×