A row is growing between the Home Office and London City Hall as Sadiq Khan is accused of playing politics over the ousting of Dame Cressida Dick.
Priti Patel, who is responsible for appointing the Metropolitan police commissioner, is furious that Khan did not tell her he was withdrawing support from Dick and effectively forcing her out.
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Home Office sources said it was “rude and unprofessional” that Khan did not inform Patel he was calling a crunch meeting with Dick to discuss her future at the Met. Dick did not attend the meeting at 4.30pm yesterday, having been told by Khan he did not have confidence in her plans to rid the Met of its toxic culture. She chose to resign instead.
Sadiq Khan’s statement on Metropolitan Police commissioner’s resignation
COVID passes and the need to wear face coverings in certain venues will be scrapped in Wales later this month.
From 18 February, domestic COVID passes will no longer be required to enter indoor or outdoor events including nightclubs, cinemas, or theatres.
But venues will still be able to use them if they choose to.
From Monday 28 February, face coverings will no longer be needed in most public places, including gyms, cinemas, and churches.
They will still be required in all shops, public transport, and health and care settings.
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The Welsh government will confirm the changes on Friday during the first three-week review of the country's coronavirus measures.
Anyone who tests positive with COVID-19 will still have to remain at home for five days and have a negative lateral flow test on days five and six.
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First Minister Mark Drakeford said vaccination levels and decreasing infection rates mean the country can "look forward to brighter times ahead" as it moves beyond "the emergency footing on which we have been operating for nearly two years".
Mr Drakeford said: "With increasing numbers of people vaccinated and boosted and thanks to the hard work and efforts of everyone across Wales, we are confident that coronavirus rates are falling and we can look forward to brighter times ahead.
"We can start to gradually and carefully remove some of the remaining protections we have in place at alert level zero.
"But we are not removing all the measures at once because the pandemic is not over yet.
"To keep Wales safe we need to remain cautious and do everything we can to reassure those who feel most at risk."
Meanwhile, in Scotland, students and teachers in secondary schools will no longer need face coverings in the classroom from the end of this month.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the change - from 28 February - is a "further step in allowing children and young people a return to a more normal experience in school after many, many months of sacrifice".
Face coverings will still be required in other communal, indoor areas within high schools, she added, but this will be kept under "regular review".
The news came after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the last domestic restrictions in England - including the requirement to isolate if you test positive - are likely to be lifted later this month.
But in his statement, Mr Khan said he was "not satisfied" with Dame Cressida's response and that she "will be stepping aside" as a result.
Mr Khan thanked the commissioner for her 40-year policing career.
He said he would now "work closely with the home secretary on the appointment of a new commissioner" with an aim to restore trust in the Met.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Dame Cressida "has served her country with great dedication and distinction over many decades".
Home Secretary Priti Patel said the police chief held the role "during challenging times" and that she "exemplified the increasingly diverse nature of our police".
Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper thanked Dame Cressida for her public service and said reform was needed to rebuild public confidence after recent cases.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said a change in the force's leadership was "long overdue".
He added that Boris Johnson, whose part in the Downing Street parties held during lockdown is still being investigated by the Met, must have no role in choosing her successor.
Harvey Proctor, a former MP falsely accused of murder during a disastrous probe into claims of a VIP paedophile ring, said her departure had come not a "day too soon" and called for a full inquiry into all her "personal mistakes".
Alastair Morgan, who has spent decades campaigning for justice for his brother Daniel after he was killed with an axe in a pub car park in south-east London in the 1980s, said Dame Cressida had "disappointed" his family on every level during her time in charge.
"Although I think it is a shame that we are seeing another commissioner disappear under a cloud of smoke, it is necessary," he said.
A decision taken for her
Analysis by Tom Symonds, home affairs correspondent
On Thursday morning she was adamant. She wasn't going. But all the signs are that the decision was taken for her by Sadiq Khan
The commissioner of the Metropolitan Police is appointed by the Queen, on the advice of the home secretary, but the commissioner cannot do the job without the support of the mayor.
In the last few weeks attempts were made to convince him that the Met's plan would deliver change.
But that plan involved a review - by Lady Louise Casey - that would have taken much of the year.
She had been given the power to roam freely through the force looking for bad attitudes and poor management of disciplinary issues.
That would have been a period when more revelations were inevitably going to emerge making the commissioner's position even more difficult.
The mayor's timetable was different - days, weeks at most. He needed to be convinced. His officials didn't sound it on Wednesday. Thursday night's development is the result.
Dame Cressida, who served in the role for four years and was recently given a two-year contract extension, has agreed with the mayor that she will continue to serve for a short time period to enable an orderly handover.
She said in a statement: "It is with huge sadness that following contact with the mayor of London today, it is clear that the mayor no longer has sufficient confidence in my leadership to continue.
"He has left me no choice but to step aside as commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service."
"The murder of Sarah Everard and many other awful cases recently have, I know, damaged confidence in this fantastic police service," she added.
"There is much to do - and I know that the Met has turned its full attention to rebuilding public trust and confidence. For that reason I am very optimistic about the future for the Met and for London."
Ken Marsh, the chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers in London, said Dame Cressida had been unfairly treated.
"We feel the way she has been treated is wholly unfair and we did believe that she was the person who could take us through this and bring us out the other side," he said.
In 2008, the then-Met Commissioner Sir Ian Blair stood down after he lost the support of the London mayor at the time, Boris Johnson.
The delay to the publication of Sue Gray's full report into lockdown parties at Downing Street was a "stitch-up" between the Met and No 10, the SNP and Liberal Democrats said. The Met's investigation is ongoing
Further controversy came when clashes broke out between women and police officers at a vigil in her memory, held under Covid lockdown measures
There were accusations of racism from the mother of two women murdered in a park in Wembley. Mina Smallman believes police treated the disappearance and deaths of Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry less urgently than if they had been white
The disappearance of Richard Okorogheye, a teenager found dead two weeks after his mother reported him missing, is being reviewed by the police watchdog, which will consider whether ethnicity played a role in the way his case was handled
Dame Cressida also had to deal with the repercussions from the disastrous Operation Midland, the multimillion-pound investigation which saw detectives duped by false claims of a VIP sex abuse ring made by the paedophile and fantasist Carl Beech
A report by an independent panel set up in 2013 into the unsolved murder of Daniel Morgan accused the force of institutional corruption, and found that the then-Assistant Commissioner Dame Cressida had initially refused to grant access to a police internal data system
Further criticism came over the security of Wembley stadium during the final of the Euro 2020 championships, which saw thousands of ticketless fans storm the venue. Dame Cressida defended the Met's response
Dame Cressida Dick is leaving her role as head of the Met Police, the Mayor of London has confirmed.
Sadiq Khan had put the Metropolitan Commissioner "on notice" last week after the police watchdog published messages sent by officers that used sexist, racist and homophobic language.
But he said he was "not satisfied" with the Commissioner's response and in a statement on Thursday evening said: "On being informed of this, Dame Cressida Dick has said she will be standing aside.
"It's clear that the only way to start to deliver the scale of the change required is to have new leadership right at the top of the Metropolitan Police."
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Image:Sadiq Khan had warned he was ready to "take action", if Cressida Dick did not answer his questions
Dame Cressida said it was "with great sadness" she was stepping down.
"It is clear that the mayor no longer has sufficient confidence in my leadership to continue.
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"He has left me no choice but to step aside as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service."
She added: "The murder of Sarah Everard and many other awful cases recently have, I know, damaged confidence in this fantastic police service."
It has been agreed that she will continue to serve for a short period to enable an orderly handover.
'Absolutely no intention of going'
Mr Khan said he would begin working with the Home Secretary Priti Patel on the appointment of a new Commissioner so that "we can move quickly to restore trust in the capital's police service while keeping London safe".
Her resignation comes following a series of scandals including the murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens, and the exchange of racist, misogynist and homophobic messages by officers at Charing Cross Police Station.
Earlier on Thursday, when asked by the BBC if she should step down she said: "I have absolutely no intention of going and I believe that I am and have been, actually for the last five years, leading a real transformation in the Met.
Prince Charles has tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time and Palace sources have confirmed the Prince of Wales recently met with the Queen.
The Prince of Wales is now self-isolating following the test result, which came just minutes before he was due to arrive in Winchester on a visit to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
Sky News understands Her Majesty is not showing any coronavirus symptoms and the situation will continue to be monitored.
This morning The Prince of Wales has tested positive for COVID-19 and is now self-isolating.
HRH is deeply disappointed not to be able to attend today's events in Winchester and will look to reschedule his visit as soon as possible.
— The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) February 10, 2022
Aides, who were only informed moments earlier, said the prince was found to be positive during a routine test - which suggested he was not experiencing strong symptoms - but they declined to go into more detail about his condition.
Both he and the Duchess of Cornwall have been taking regular tests before engagements, and Camilla, who visited a school in Bath on Tuesday and has separate royal duties from the prince, had a negative test on Thursday.
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In a tweet, Clarence House said: "This morning The Prince of Wales has tested positive for COVID-19 and is now self-isolating.
"HRH is deeply disappointed not to be able to attend today's events in Winchester and will look to reschedule his visit as soon as possible."
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Clarence House confirmed the prince is triple vaccinated but did not confirm whether he had been in physical contact with the Queen recently.
Image:Chancellor Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy met Charles at last night's reception at the British Museum
The announcement comes after Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall attended a reception at the British Museum last night.
The event, attended by scores of people, was held to celebrate the work of the British Asian Trust (BAT), which the prince founded in 2007 to work to reduce poverty in south Asia.
Charles was in close contact with high-profile guests including Home Secretary Priti Patel, former Liverpool footballer Ian Rush and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who was there with his wife Akshata Murthy.
Image:The Duchess of Cornwall accompanied the Prince of Wales to the British Asian Trust event
Using his pet name for Camilla, which means "darling" in Urdu, he said in a speech: "I cannot quite believe it is almost two years to the day that both my Mehabooba and myself were able to be with all of you to celebrate the work of the British Asian Trust.
"Since then, across the globe, there has been terrible loss of life from this dreadful pandemic and we have especially seen the devastating impact throughout south Asia."
Charles praised the "truly remarkable achievement" of the BAT, which raised £20m in four fundraising campaigns during the pandemic.
Before his speech, Charles and Camilla greeted supporters and ambassadors of BAT in the museum's Egyptian Gallery.
Image:The Prince of Wales chatted with Home Secretary Priti Patel last night
They first spoke with Mr Sunak and Ms Patel before the four posed for photos.
Greeting Rush, the prince said: "Didn't you used to play?" The Welsh sportsman laughed and replied: "Yes."
Charles then asked how Liverpool were doing and whether the Welsh national team would qualify for this year's World Cup in Qatar.
"They have a chance," Rush said.
Image:Former Liverpool footballer Ian Rush shakes hands with Charles at the event
Disappointed crowds
More than 1,000 people were gathered behind barriers in Winchester waiting to see the prince on Thursday.
There were groans of disappointment from the crowd after it was announced he would no longer be coming.
The Queen's representative in Hampshire, the Lord Lieutenant Nigel Atkinson, read out a message from the prince.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am so sorry that I cannot be with you today. I am desperately disappointed as I was so looking forward to marking this historic occasion with you," it said.
"I hope very much that I will be able to visit at a future time but for today please accept my most heartfelt apologies and my very best wishes as you mark this memorable occasion for Winchester."
Charles was due to unveil a new statue of Licoricia of Winchester, a prominent Jewish moneylender who was murdered in 1277 during a period of antisemitism in the reign of Edward I that culminated in the expulsion of Jews from England in 1290.
Earlier this week the Queen, 95, marked her Platinum Jubilee by expressing her "sincere wish" that the duchess would be Queen Camilla at Charles's side when he is one day king.
On a tour of a community kitchen in Notting Hill, west London, earlier on Thursday, Camilla was asked by a visitor how she felt about the title. "I feel very honoured - very honoured and very touched," she said.
When the prince first contracted COVID, he suffered a mild infection and described how he lost his sense of taste and smell.
Boris Johnson is expected to be among 50 people in Downing Street who will be questioned by police over allegations of participating in parties while coronavirus restrictions were in place.
Detectives will begin sending those in No 10 formal questionnaires, which will ask them to account for their involvement in events and provide an explanation.
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The questionnaires have formal legal status and those receiving them will be required to answer truthfully. Detectives, who are assessing 300 images and 500 documents provided by the Cabinet Office, will then decide whether to issue a fixed penalty notice.
A Labour MP asks Boris Johnson about the photograph during prime minister’s questions
The police are questioning people in relation to eight events. They include a “bring your own booze” garden party in Downing Street on May 20, 2020, and a celebration held
Boris Johnson on Wednesday announced plans to end the legal requirement to self-isolate after a positive Covid-19 test in a move aimed at scrapping the last remaining virus restrictions in England.
The UK prime minister, attempting to raise Conservative morale after weeks of Tory divisions, won cheers from his MPs as he suggested the worst of the Covid crisis was coming to an end.
“It is my expectation that we’ll be able to end the last domestic restrictions, including the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive, a full month early,” Johnson said at prime minister’s questions in the House of Commons.
Johnson said he expected to set out a “living with Covid” plan when MPs return from a break on February 21. The remaining legal curbs had not been due to expire until March 24.
Wednesday’s announcement came as new data from the Office for National Statistics showed that Covid infection rates were rising across the UK.
Some 3.3mn people were infected with the virus in the week ending February 5, up from nearly 3.1mn infections the week before. In England, one in 19 people had coronavirus in the latest week, compared with one in 20 a week earlier.
This month, Denmark became the first European country to drop all Covid restrictions, including the legal requirement to self-isolate, despite record infection rates due to the Omicron coronavirus variant. However, the Danish government is still advising people who test positive after showing symptoms to self-isolate for at least four days.
In South Africa, where Omicron first emerged, people without symptoms have not had to self-isolate after testing positive since early February.
The prime minister’s spokesperson stressed on Wednesday that the change was not a recommendation that people should go to work if they have coronavirus, adding that “guidance” on appropriate behaviour would remain in place.
“Obviously in the same way that someone with flu, we wouldn’t recommend they go to work, we would never recommend anyone goes to work when they have an infectious disease.”
Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, said the planned rule change in England was “pragmatic” as self-isolation rules were “essentially self-policed”.
“No longer mandating isolation periods isn’t going to make a big difference,” said Spector. But he stressed the need to continue with “strong public health messaging”, adding that the government “must not pretend it’s over”.
However, Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers urged caution. “The government is best placed to determine the evidence around Covid-19 restrictions but any steps to de-escalate our precautionary approach — including ending requirements for self-isolation for positive tests — must be proportionate to the risks,” he said.
The move was met with scepticism from some workers’ unions. General secretary of the TUC Frances O’Grady, has urged employers to “carry out proper risk assessments” to maintain safety in the workplace and find solutions to the “broken sick pay system”.
“It beggars belief that millions still don’t have access to decent sick pay,” she said. “This is leaving the country vulnerable to new variants and pandemics.”
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has been holding talks with business groups and unions about what kind of workplace guidance would help employers navigate a “post-Covid” world — where the pandemic is all but over but Covid-19 has not disappeared.
Employers and unions want the government to maintain access to free lateral flow tests, despite ministers’ desire to start charging for them later this year. They also expect the government to produce advice on best practice, such as good ventilation in buildings and not forcing employees who are sick with mild Covid into work, if they can work from home.
One union official said any new advice should be broad in scope to prevent any confusion with “consistent guidance” for all workplaces — in contrast to the sector-by-sector approach at the start of the health crisis.
Additional reporting by George Parker and Sebastian Payne in London
