Boris Johnson has recommended that Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe should be given only a one-year extension to his contract as Met commissioner, in a move which raises doubts about the future of Britain’s top police officer.
In a letter to Home Secretary Theresa May, the mayor is understood to have said that Sir Bernard, whose current five-year term ends this summer, should not receive the extension of two to three years which the commissioner is believed to have wanted.
Instead, Johnson has proposed only a 12-month extension on the grounds that the shorter period will allow the next mayor to decide whether he wants Sir Bernard to stay in post for longer.
The recommendation, which must be approved by May and then by the Queen, effectively places Sir Bernard on probation. It will be seen by his critics as a rebuff in the wake of controversies over the Met’s handling of the investigation into child sex abuse allegations against former military chief Lord Bramall and other high-profile figures.
Hogan-Howe has also been attacked by some over Scotland Yard’s pursuit of newspaper journalists over alleged corrupt payments to public officials, which ended with a large number of failed prosecutions.
However, City Hall sources insisted Johnson and his deputy mayor for policing Stephen Greenhalgh remain “big fans” of Sir Bernard, and that the decision to opt for a one-year extension was motivated by courtesy towards the next mayor, rather than concerns about his performance.
A source added: “The mayor is a big supporter of Sir Bernard but the recommendation has been made bearing in mind that there is a mayoral election this year.” Another official said Johnson wanted to give the new mayor adequate time to get to know and work with Sir Bernard before having to make a decision about who should head Scotland Yard.
Johnson declined to comment.
May had written to the mayor asking for his recommendation to be provided within 10 days. That was prompted by concern that if Johnson favoured replacing Sir Bernard, whose contract expires in the summer, there would be insufficient time to find a replacement.
The home secretary will now decide whether to accept the recommendation and retain Sir Bernard. If she opts to reject him, legislation passed since his appointment in 2011 means the next commissioner could be a foreign citizen. Potential candidates might include New York police chief Bill Bratton.
Supporters of Sir Bernard point to his record in cutting the official crime figures for London and his force’s success in protecting the capital from terrorism and from riots, which had overwhelmed the Met shortly before his appointment.