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| Version 5 | Version 6 |
|---|---|
| Met chief Sir Ian Blair resigns | Met chief Sir Ian Blair resigns |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair has announced his resignation after three years in the job. | |
| Sir Ian said he would stand down on 1 December "in the best interests of the people of London and the Metropolitan Police Service". | |
| He blamed insufficient backing from London mayor Boris Johnson, who took over as chairman of the police authority on Wednesday. | |
| Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said Sir Ian can be "proud" of his contribution. | |
| She said deputy commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson will take over as acting head of the Met until a permanent successor can be found. | |
| Sir Ian has faced criticism over the racism row involving the Met's most senior Asian officer Tarique Ghaffur. | |
| There have also been questions about his handling of events surrounding the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes. | |
| The Brazilian was shot on the London Underground in July 2005 by police marksmen, who had mistaken him for a suicide bomber. | |
| Sir Ian has denied any wrongdoing over an inquiry into the use of public money to pay a close friend to advise him. | Sir Ian has denied any wrongdoing over an inquiry into the use of public money to pay a close friend to advise him. |