This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/7648664.stm
The article has changed 25 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| 'Statement due' on Sir Ian Blair | 'Statement due' on Sir Ian Blair |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| A "significant" statement is expected this afternoon on the future of Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair, the BBC understands. | A "significant" statement is expected this afternoon on the future of Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair, the BBC understands. |
| The announcement follows new newspaper reports on the use of public money to pay a close friend to advise him. | |
| Sir Ian has previously rejected the suggestion he "behaved inappropriately" on the issue. | Sir Ian has previously rejected the suggestion he "behaved inappropriately" on the issue. |
| He has also faced criticism over the racism row involving the Met's most senior Asian officer Tarique Ghaffur. | |
| There have been questions too about his handling of events surrounding the 2005 death of Jean Charles de Menezes, who was shot dead at Stockwell Underground station in south London after being mistaken for a suicide bomber. | |
| Last month, Sir Ian was forced to deny newspaper reports that he is to be ousted from Scotland Yard when his contract expires in 2010. | |
| Metropolitan Police Authority auditors are in the process of examining Scotland Yard contracts given to consultancy firm Impact Plus, run by his friend. | |
| Sir Ian has said he had been "open and straightforward in informing both the MPS [Metropolitan Police Service] and the MPA about my relationship with someone who was subsequently awarded a contract with the MPS". |