Lord Blair of Boughton, the former Metropolitan Police commissioner who led the force during the 7/7 terror attacks and the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, has died aged 72. His tenure was marked by unprecedented challenges and controversy, culminating in his dismissal by then-Mayor of London Boris Johnson in 2008, the first such sacking in over a century.
Blair's leadership was overshadowed by the handling of the Stockwell shooting, where innocent Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes was killed by police marksmen in July 2005. Blair was criticised for being slow to acknowledge the mistake and for attempting to block an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. The incident, occurring under immense pressure following the 7/7 attacks, severely damaged his career and reputation.
An Oxford-educated graduate in English literature, Blair sought to reform the Met and make it more responsive to London's diverse communities. However, he struggled with public relations and lost support from right-wing media, Conservative allies, and many officers under his command. He was nicknamed "the PC PC" for being perceived as too close to the government of his unrelated namesake Tony Blair and prone to buckling under crisis.
Blair joined the Met in 1974 through the graduate entry scheme and rose rapidly through the ranks. He served in various roles, including policing the Brixton riots, identifying victims of the King's Cross fire, and leading investigations into police corruption. He later became chief constable of Surrey before returning to the Met as deputy commissioner, succeeding John Stevens as commissioner in 2005.
Despite initiatives to address institutional racism following the Macpherson report into Stephen Lawrence's murder, Blair's legacy remains complex. He was seen as an academic police officer, a product of the leadership cadre, and his fast-tracked graduate status drew suspicion in a traditionally non-graduate profession.
