London's Met Police chief Cressida Dick resigns after being 'left with no choice'

The move came after Mr Khan told Dick he was not satisfied she could root out problems such as racism and sexism that still existed in the force.

Confidence in London's Metropolitan Police has been shaken in recent years by revelations including the abduction, rape and murder of a woman by one of its officers and a culture of bullying, racial discrimination and misogyny in a central London police station.

Khan said he had made clear to Dick the scale of the change he believed was urgently required to rebuild the trust and confidence of Londoners in the Met and to expunge racism, sexism, homophobia, bullying, discrimination and misogyny from it.

"I am not satisfied with the Commissioner's response," he said, adding that on being informed of this, Dick had offered her resignation, which he had accepted.

"It's clear that the only way to start to deliver the scale of the change required is to have new leadership right at the top of the Metropolitan Police," Khan said.

Dick said she was left with no choice but to stand down.

"It is with huge sadness that following contact with the Mayor of London today, it is clear that the Mayor no longer has sufficient confidence in my leadership to continue," she said in a statement.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said Cressida Dick has been treated in a "wholly unfair" way.

"We are deeply saddened by the resignation of our commissioner," he said.

"She was much loved across the rank and file of the Metropolitan Police Service.

"We feel the way she has been treated is wholly unfair and we did believe that she was the person who could take us through this and bring us out the other side."