UK: British prime minister Tony Blair and London mayor Ken Livingstone have rallied behind Metropolitan Police commissioner Ian Blair in a concerted bid to quell calls for his resignation.
Speculation about Sir Ian's position revived following Friday's release without charge of the two brothers arrested in the controversial Forest Gate anti-terrorist raid a week before and the subsequent leak from a critical official inquiry into the shooting of the innocent Brazilian man Jean Charles de Menezes, mistaken for a terrorist at Stockwell tube station last July.
Crucial political support had seemed to be draining away after police minister Tony McNulty offered the commissioner only a lukewarm endorsement, suggesting his position was safe "at this stage" while reserving judgment pending full publication of the report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission into the shooting of Mr Menezes.
At the same time Damien Hockney, a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, claimed the authority was split on the issue of Sir Ian's future, while stating his personal view that Sir Ian's position was "not tenable".
Mr Hockney told the BBC: "The Met needs inspired and courageous leadership and, with the best will in the world, Sir Ian cannot provide it."
However, that was flatly rejected by the prime minister, who also moved to close down an apparent briefing war between the police and MI5 over the abortive Forest Gate raid, which saw Mohammed Abdul Kahar and Abdul Koyair detained for a week on suspicion of terrorism before their release without charge.
Mr Blair insisted: "I retain complete confidence in Sir Ian Blair as the Metropolitan Police commissioner and, more than that, I retain confidence in our police and our security services in tackling the terrorist threat that we face."
With the anniversary of the London bombings approaching, and clearly seized of the risk to morale among police and other security personnel, the prime minister warned: "This is not the moment to question either our police commissioner or the police or the security services, who in my judgment are doing a fine job in protecting this country."
In adding his backing for Sir Ian, however, Mr Livingstone said he would be demanding answers on press reports that the Met had raised doubts about the intelligence behind the Forest Gate raid, which then went ahead on the orders of the government security and intelligence co-ordinator.
"If we are being told that when the police have doubts about a raid, someone in the cabinet office can overrule them and effectively send them in, that is very worrying indeed," he said.