Met boss under fire for ‘racism’

Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Ian Blair is reeling from an unprecedented attack. He is being sued for racial, religious and age discrimination by Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, Britain's most senior Asian or Muslim police officer. In a televised press conference, Mr Ghaffur said he was directly suing Sir Ian, and not the Met which he still "dearly loves and admires".

Sir Ian's deputly, Sir Paul Stephenson issued a sharp rebuke to Mr Ghaffur. In his statement, he said: "It is long past time we all shut up, stop making public statements about private disputes and get on with the job we are paid to do."

Mr Ghaffur told the press that his life was a "success story". Originally from Uganda, he rose through the ranks of the police. He thanked senior officers for exemplary leadership, including former commissioner Lord Stevens, but made it clear that he felt Sir Ian had ruined the twilight of his career.