Deputy mayor for policing quits for government job

London's deputy mayor for crime and policing has resigned to take up a role with the Ministry of Justice, City Hall has said.

Sophie Linden has been in the job since Sadiq Khan was first elected as mayor in 2016.

She will become a senior adviser to Shabana Mahmood, who is the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice.

Sophie Linden's departure follows the resignation last week of London's "night czar" Amy Lamé.

Ms Linden said: “It has been a huge privilege to serve the capital as deputy mayor for the last eight years.

"I'm proud of the progress we have made by being tough on crime and its complex causes, working with communities, key partners and the police, to build a safer London for all."

She has been in the role during a challenging decade for policing in the capital, including the 2021 murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Metropolitan Police officer and the subsequent Casey Review, which found the force to be institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic.

A year on from the publication of the review, Ms Linden told a meeting of the London Assembly's Police and Crime Committee that not enough progress had been made in reforming the Met, a process she admitted would "take a long time".

The most recent salary details revealed by City Hall showed she earned more than £141,000.

In her resignation announcement, Ms Linden said policing was "more diverse, transparent and accountable than when I started" but conceded there was "more to do".

Mr Khan said: “I want to pay tribute to the exceptional service that Sophie Linden has given to London during the last eight years.

“In the context of huge challenges facing the Met, particularly around funding, Sophie has worked hard to ensure that in London we’re both tough on crime but also tackling its complex causes head on, while putting the Met on a path to fundamental reform."

Ms Linden's successor will be appointed in due course, a City Hall spokesperson said.

The mayor has been quick to praise his former deputy for her work on key reforms and policies including setting up London's violence reduction unit, and championing the mayor's public health approach to tackling crime, looking at the underlying causes, BBC London's home affairs correspondent Sonja Jessup said.

He also credits Ms Linden with pushing for accountability of the Met, including referring the Stephen Port investigation to the police watchdog and calling for the policing of the Clapham Common vigil for Sarah Everard to be investigated.

But her critics say the force remains mired in scandal after scandal, and is effectively in special measures, following a scathing PEEL (police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy) inspection in August that found the force was failing in almost every area of its work.

These are huge challenges that face whoever succeeds Ms Linden, and they'll be under pressure to quickly deliver tangible results for Londoners that political opponents are demanding.

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