FORMER Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Stephen House is to take temporary charge of the Metropolitan Police after it emerged Dame Cressida Dick is to step down from the London force sooner than expected.

On Monday, the Home Office revealed that the Met Commissioner is set to leave her job in April, months before her replacement is named.

Dame Cressida resigned last month but agreed to stay on in the post until arrangements to appoint her successor had been finalised.

In a written statement to the Commons, Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “In the immediate term following Dame Cressida’s departure, legislation enables the Deputy Commissioner, Sir Steve House, to exercise temporarily the powers and duties of the Commissioner. 

“Sir Steve and the Mayor of London must drive improvement even before the next Commissioner is in place to ensure that the Metropolitan Police Service restores trust and takes every necessary action to keep the public safe.”

Sir Stephen stood down as Police Scotland’s chief constable in 2015, following a spate of controversies, including concerns over armed officers on patrol and the force’s stop and search policy.

However, it was the death of Lamara Bell and John Yuill in a crash on the M9 that effectively led to his early resignation. 

An initial call to police was not acted upon, and the two young parents were not discovered until another member of the public contacted the emergency services three days later.

When the couple were found Lamara, 25, was still alive. She died in hospital four days later. 

Last year Police Scotland admitted their failings "materially contributed" to her death. 

The force was fined £100,000 at Edinburgh High Court and it was revealed last year that Lamara's family is to receive more than £1m in compensation.

According to the book, Break-Up: How Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon Went to War, Noel Dolan, who was the first minister’s closest adviser for 12 years, says that Sir Stephen was summoned to a meeting in the wake of the deaths and "was effectively dismissed" by the First Minister. 

According to Dolan said: "Stephen House essentially was sacked. He resigned but he essentially was sacked for a pretty poor reason. The main thing was the two people who died on the M9. Stephen House was held responsible for the behaviour of some junior call centre respondent because the police in central regional had f***ed it up. So there was a lot of pressure on him."

The book also quotes a source close to House who says he "burns with hate towards Nicola". 

In her statement to the Commons, Ms Patel told MPs that the outgoing commissioner deserved their “profound gratitude for her decades of public service and leadership in policing, as well as our best wishes for the future.”

The Home Secretary said she would shortly launch a recruitment process for the next commissioner and anticipated that someone would be appointed by the summer. 

Ms Patel said: “The Metropolitan Police Service faces major challenges and needs to demonstrate sustained improvements in order to regain public trust in London and nationally. It is vital that we get the right person for the biggest leadership role in policing in this country.”