Met Police could face ‘eyewatering’ choices, Sir Mark Rowley says

Conservative Assembly member Susan Hall accused the mayor of being “one sided” in his response days after the shooting, referring to his statement that it was “a young life cut short”.

“These armed officers go into situations that none of us would want to be near, and yet there’s no sympathy for him [Mr Blake] whatsoever,” she said.

She repeatedly asked if Mr Khan would apologise to him, saying some officers were stepping back from firearms duties.

“They are lacking in the support they need and it comes from the top.

“You should be more supportive, or just keep quiet,” she continued.

The mayor said he respected the judgment of the jury and expressed his thanks to all police officers, “particularly our firearms officers who do an incredibly difficult job under extraordinary circumstances, under a unique set of pressures”.

He said “they’d be the first to accept that it’s really important in a democracy we have a proper system of checks and balances in relation to how police are held to account”.

Mr Khan said he fully supported the review announced by the home secretary into firearms accountability.