Speaking to reporters outside Scotland Yard, Sir Mark said: "We now have no mechanism to rid the Met of officers who were not fit to hold vetting - those who cannot be trusted to work with women, or those who cannot be trusted to enter the homes of vulnerable people.

The Metropolitan Police’s effort to purge officers it deems unsuitable has been dealt a blow after the High Court ruled it cannot dismiss them by removing their vetting. A judge found that Sergeant Lino Di Maria — who had been stripped of his credentials following sexual assault allegations — had been unfairly dismissed,

Met Police cannot sack officers by removing vetting clearance