London mayor Sadiq Khan has claimed that he was stopped from reading out sexist texts from Metropolitan Police officers at meeting, adding that he was being ‘censored’ from reading those messages.
Khan claimed he was not allowed to read out horrific messages of racism and sexism from the officers in the London assembly on Tuesday (13), reported My London.
The mayor was trying to read texts from the Operation Hotton report into sexist and racist cops at London assembly hearing. It was part of the London Assembly policing committee’s investigation into the ousting of Dame Cressida Dick.
Recently, Khan was ‘summonsed’ over his ousting of former Met Police chief Dame Cressida.
During the hearing, he was trying to justify his pressure on the former policing boss by revealing evidence from the IOPC report into officers at Charing Cross police station, the report added.
“I had that massive fight with my girl because she’d found out I’d been on the p*ss with this girl who’s a high class hooker a couple of weeks ago. Hahaha.” He quoted another officer who responded: “Make friends with high class hookers.” Another replied: “I had one [a sex worker] in Watford, I used to f*** her all the time,” Khan is quoted to have said.
However, Conservative chair of the committee Susan Hall AM interrupted the mayor. Hall then mentioned the critical Sir Tom Winsor investigation into how Dame Dick left office. In the meeting, Khan was seated next to Sir Tom, whose report in August accused him of breaking the rules to sack then Met chief.
The exchange as reported by My London.
Chair Susan Hall: “We all accept what was in that WhatsApp correspondence.”
Mayor Sadiq Khan: “You’ve missed the point.”
Hall : “We’re all accepting that it was wrong.”
Mayor: “What’s the point?”
Hall: “You needn’t read them all out, we all accept them.”
Mayor: “You can’t censor this, this is important.”
Hall: “Bring it back if you would.”
Mayor: “Chair, this is outrageous. I’m trying to be fair.”
Hall: “What’s outrageous about this? We’re trying to bring this back to what’s in the [Winsor] report.”
Dame Cressida stepped aside as Commissioner of the Met in February this year, reportedly following an ultimatum from Khan. However, Sir Tom’s report said that ‘due process was not followed’ during the ouster.
Khan denied the findings and claimed the report, commissioned by then home secretary Priti Patel, was politically motivated.
He said that the Mayor’s treatment of Dame Cressida amounted to “constructive dismissal” if she had been a formal employee. The Mayor
Following the meeting, Sir Tom said: “I was really quite startled by how negative the briefing was, and how amateurish and shoddy it was.”
He claimed that Khan had pressed the Met Police commissioner to act “illegally” in sacking racist and sexist officers revealed in the Operation Hotton report.
According to the mayor, Dame Cressida’s successor Sir Mark Rowley removed the officers under rules on misconduct in public office.
It is reported that Khan received a letter from the IOPC policing watchdog highlighting examples of racism and sexism in the force.
