MP warns against Stephen House appointment as former Chief Constable linked with Met job

The former Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Stephen House has been linked with the Met Commissioner role after Dame Cressida Dick resigned.

The embattled former commissioner stood down this week after London mayor Sadiq Khan said he no longer had confidence in her leadership.

Now the Deputy Commissioner Sir Stephen is one of the favourites for the role, despite a string of controversies.

Lib Dem MP Alistair Carmichael insisted he be ruled out.

Cressida Dick has resigned as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.

The Orkney and Shetland MP said: "If there is one thing that is certain from this sorry state of affairs, it is that the Met needs a complete culture shift.

“Whoever takes over from Cressida Dick needs to show from day one that they will drive that change and that they can restore public confidence in the police.

“With all respect to Stephen House, his record as the head of Police Scotland is likely to attract questions and distract from the job at hand, which must be to make a clean break from past mistakes."

Last year it was reported First Minister Nicola Sturgeon "effectively sacked" Mr House following the M9 crash scandal.

The Scottish police officer has worked in several different forces and was appointed chief constable of Police Scotland in 2012.

However, during his tenure leading Police Scotland he faced criticism for his use of armed patrols as well as stop and search powers.

He eventually resigned in 2015 over the deaths of Lamara Bell and John Yuill, who lay undiscovered in a wrecked car for three days despite a call from a member of the public.

But in 2018, he became an assistant commissioner at the Metropolitan Police and was promoted to deputy commissioner by the end of the year.

There is no clear frontrunner to replace Dame Cressida, who leaves after a series of scandals during her tenure leading Britain’s biggest police force.

Matt Jukes, an assistant Metropolitan Police commissioner working as head of counter-terrorism, is seen in some circles as a likely contender.

Neil Basu, another assistant commissioner who previously worked as the head of counter-terrorism, is also thought to be a potential candidate.

Another potential replacement is Lucy D’Orsi, the Chief Constable of the British Transport Police.