Candidates in next month’s Mayoral elections have demanded that the report into the Stockwell shooting in which Jean Charles de Menezes lost his life.
Reports have claimed that the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) report is to be help back until after the May elections for political reasons.
Left List candidate Lindsey German said: “The report should be released as soon as possible. Any further delay is only delaying justice. This is unfair to Jean’s family and friends, and to anyone who wants to see justice.”
“In the run-up to the mayoral elections, the report would have led to renewed focus on Sir Ian Blair’s role in the Menezes case, and in turn damaged Ken Livingstone.”
Liberal Democrat Mayoral candidate Brian Paddick said: “The only reason to delay this report would be if it were critical of the Commissioner and by association the Mayor, baring in mind Ken Livingstone’s unswerving support for Sir Ian Blair.”
“I was a major witness in the Independent Police Complaint Commission’s investigation into Stockwell, including evidence that the Mayor himself knew on the day of the shooting that the wrong man had been killed and yet I was not even called to give evidence to this inquiry.”
Conservative Candidate Boris Johnson said: “If the report is complete, it should be released immediately so Londoners are fully informed on the tragic events at Stockwell.”
“This is yet another sign that the Mayor and Mayoral bodies refuse to make themselves accountable.”
However the MPA has denied the delay was due to political considerations and says the report has not been written.
A statement issued by the Authority reads: “It is a gross misinterpretation to allege that the MPA Stockwell scrutiny report has been delayed because it is critical of the Commissioner, or for political reasons.”
“The scrutiny was set up to look at lessons learnt and new processes put in place to prevent such a tragedy happening again. It is not specifically about the Commissioner.”
“Scrutiny panel members have not seen a draft report and therefore it is completely misleading to make any assumptions about the contents.”
“The timetable for completion of the report has slipped due to the huge volume of evidence presented to the panel and the meticulous analysis required to complete the report. The panel members unanimously decided to extend the timetable for the production of the report.”
“The report is not yet written, work is ongoing and we will present the report to the full Authority before the summer. The report will be publicly available.”
