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Mayor wants more control over the Met
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor21 Aug 2008
Boris Johnson piled the pressure on Met chief Sir Ian Blair today by declaring that he wanted the power to give him orders.
The Mayor said he wanted a greater say over the way the police are run in the capital, and pointed to New York as an example of better accountability.
In a question-and-answer session for ConservativeHome.com, Mr Johnson said that he and Sir Ian needed to work together to solve serious problems with knife crime and youth violence. He said: "At the end of the day, I can't demand, I can only ask - and I believe that should change.
"I do believe that the Mayor should have greater power over the Met, as there is a democratic deficit at the moment. I can, and should, be held accountable for crime in this city - but I have little power to hold the Met to account. If you look at other major cities, like New York, there is a clear line of accountability."
Mr Johnson sparked a row earlier this week when he dismissed as "piffle" Tory leader David Cameron's claim that Britain was now a "broken society". It led Cabinet minister Jack Straw to say: "The top two Tories in the country are clearly at loggerheads."
But - in an interview with Total Politics magazine published tomorrow - Mr Johnson is asked if he still wants the top job. He replies by quoting Michael Heseltine's infamous remark that he can not "foresee the circumstances in which I'll be called upon to serve".
