Former Metropolitan Police commissioner Ian Blair dies

Former Metropolitan Police commissioner, Lord Blair, has died at the age of 72.

He led the UK’s largest force between 2005 and 2008, during which the 7/7 bombings took place.

Christ Church college, Oxford, where Ian Blair studied English and later became an honorary student, confirmed his death in a social media post.

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said that Lord Blair had “dedicated over 30 years to public service as a police officer” and offered condolences to his family.

Born in Chester in 1953, he joined the Met in 1974 as part of its graduate entry scheme.

He rose through the ranks, serving in both uniform and as a detective, and went on to lead major investigations, including the response to the King’s Cross fire of 1987.

In 1998, he became chief constable of Surrey Police before returning to the Met two years later as deputy commissioner.

He was appointed commissioner in February 2005, just months before a series of bombings killed 52 people on London’s transport network.

Two weeks later, firearms officers shot dead Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell Underground station, after mistaking him for a terror suspect.

The force was later found to have breached health and safety laws over the shooting.

Lord Blair was cleared of personal wrongdoing but faced sustained pressure over the killing for the remainder of his time in the role.

He stepped down in 2008 after losing the support of London’s then newly elected mayor, Boris Johnson.

In his resignation letter, the Met commissioner said: “It has been the proudest task of my life to lead the men and women of the Metropolitan Police.

“It is the duty of the commissioner to lead the Met through good times and bad- to accept the burdens and pressures of office and, above all, to be a steward of the service he commands.”