Met chief denies he is being ousted

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair today denied he was being ousted from his job saying: "The report of my death is an exaggeration."

Speaking outside Scotland Yard Sir Ian told reporters no correspondence had passed between himself and the Metropolitan Police Authority regarding an extension to his term of office as commissioner.

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He said: "I have a job to do: I am getting on with it and will continue to do so."

Sir Ian said a story in today's Times, which reports that he will be told this week that his contract will not be renewed when it expires in February 2010 "has no basis in fact".

He said: "As both the chair and the chief executive of the Police Authority can confirm, no correspondence has passed between us as to any extension or not to my term of office.

"Nor would that be likely to happen until the middle of my last year of office which is, of course, next year.

"In any event, as far as I know, none of my recent predecessors have applied for an extension and the fact that I have not yet done so therefore provides no foundation for this story.

"Most people are pleased to get a couple of letters published in The Times in their lifetime: to have two leaders written about oneself in a matter of weeks would normally be very flattering.

"However, newspapers do not always get everything right.

"As Mark Twain said after reading an account of his own death in the New York Journal 'The report of my death is an exaggeration'.

"Same here. I have a job to do. I'm getting on with it and will continue to do so."

Sir Ian did not take questions from reporters.

A Metropolitan Police Authority spokesman said: "The procedure followed by the MPA is to write to serving Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) rank officers, together with their line managers, 18 months prior to the culmination of an existing contract to seek their views of extending that contract.

"In the case of the Commissioner of the Metropolis, a Royal Appointment, the views of the Home Secretary would be sought."

He said, as per procedure, no letters had been or were about to be sent in the case of Sir Ian.

Home Office spokesman said: "The Home Secretary has full confidence in Sir Ian Blair and the Home Office has been involved in no discussions of this nature.

"Sir Ian Blair has a year and a half of his contract to run and it is far too early to be making decisions about whether or not it should be extended.

"The Metropolitan Police Commissioner is a royal appointment, following a recommendation of the Home Secretary, who consults the Mayor and Metropolitan Police Authority."