Bitter attack

Sadiq Khan’s claims of political bias rejected by Sir Tom Winsor’s allies

Allies of Sir Tom Winsor last night rejected accusations of political bias, as it emerged he was a member of the Labour Party for 30 years.

The former chief inspector of constabulary came under fire from Sadiq Khan after publishing a report in which he suggested the Mayor of London had subjected Dame Cressida Dick to unfair political pressure, forcing her to resign as Met Commissioner.

Mr Khan hit back claiming the report was “clearly biased”, with sources close to the Mayor accusing Sir Tom of having a “history of delivering for his Conservative political masters”.

In a bitter and personal attack, the source said: “This is a biased report, commissioned by the Tory Government and conducted by a friend of the former commissioner.

“It’s an attack on London democracy and a complete waste of taxpayers’ money. It’s not worth the paper it’s written on. Of course the Mayor should hold a failing commissioner to account after a litany of scandals – that’s exactly what Londoners elected him to do.

“This is typical behaviour from a zombie government that would rather have a political argument than properly fund the police and preventative services, which have been decimated by 12 years of Tory cuts.”

But friends of Sir Tom last night poured ridicule on the suggestion he had Tory sympathies, pointing to his “proud record of independence and impartiality” as well as the fact he had been a Labour Party member for many years.

A highly experienced lawyer, who grew up and trained in Scotland, Sir Tom was appointed rail regulator in 1999 by the then Labour government. In 2010 he was appointed by the coalition government to conduct an independent review into police pay and conditions. And he later became the first person from outside of policing to be appointed HMIC, authoring a string of highly critical reports about the state of policing during a decade in the post.

Last night a friend of Sir Tom said: “The Mayor’s allegation of bias is absurd. Tom Winsor has a long record of scrupulous independence and impartiality.”

The friend added: “He was also a member of the Labour Party for around 30 years.”

A government source also rejected the Mayor’s allegations, accusing him of resorting to “desperate smears”.

The source said: “Sir Tom Winsor has … decades of knowledge of policing …

“Sadiq Khan is rattled at being found to have breached standards and rules… This is desperate stuff resorting to smearing an inspector’s reputation.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “Sir Tom has had a long and distinguished career as a public servant, demonstrating his impartiality … He was hired to deliver a report on the facts surrounding the departure of the Commissioner and he has done just that.”