Met chief to face full inquiry into £3m contracts

Met commissioner Sir Ian Blair is to be investigated over a close friend's £3 million worth of contracts from Scotland Yard.

A police watchdog today called on the Home Office to appoint an independent investigator to examine claims that Sir Ian may have breached rules in the tender process.

The decision was announced this afternoon after an emergency meeting of the MPA's professional standards committee.

A chief constable from an outside force is expected to be called in to examine how Sir Ian's skiing companion Andy Miller was awarded a series of deals. Members of the Metropolitan Police Authority's professional standards committee met in an emergency session today.

They examined a secret report from the MPA's internal auditors into Sir Ian's role in the awarding of a £150,000 contract to Impact Plus, a Twickenham-based firm owned at the time by Mr Miller.

The company was awarded a total of £3million of police contracts by the Met over six years.

There is serious concern over Sir Ian's role in the affair after it emerged that despite admitting his friendship with Mr Miller, he went on to sit on a tender panel that considered the bids. Last week it emerged that Mr Miller's firm won the first contract in 2002 even though the rival bidder offered to do the same work for a third of the price.

There are also claims that the businessman carried out work for Surrey Police when Sir Ian was chief constable there, between 1998 and 2000.

One MPA member told the Standard: "There is no doubt that there are serious questions to be asked about Sir Ian's judgment and his integrity. This was poor decision-making by the Commissioner, a terrible judgment.

"You do not first declare that your friend is in charge of one of the companies because you want to keep it all above board and then go and sit on the tender panel."

Sir Ian may have breached local government or possibly EU rules. In an extreme situation, the professional standards committee has the power to suspend the Commissioner.

MPA solicitor David Riddle told members this morning that the committee had been called to consider "matters which crystallised in the director of audit's report late on Friday evening".

The director had consulted the authority's chief executive and the chairman of the professional standards committee before it was agreed there should be "an urgent meeting of this committee".

Sir Ian has strongly denied any wrongdoing and today welcomed "any form of inquiry".

When details of the contract first emerged he said: "I was open and straightforward in informing both the Metropolitan Police Service and MPA about my friendship with Andy Miller prior to any contract being awarded.

"I strongly reject any suggestion I have behaved inappropriately in any way."

An MPA spokeswoman said earlier: "The MPA's internal auditors have now completed their preliminary research into concerns about the letting of a contract to the consulting firm Impact Plus including concerns about the extent of the involvement of the Commissioner. "Their report into their emerging findings will be presented to MPA members who will decide whether further action or investigation is called for."