The officer in overall charge of the “partygate” investigation is one of the Met’s toughest operators who has led the force’s response to a string of thorny issues including stop and search and violence against women and girls.

Deputy Assistant Jane Connors is Gold Commander in charge of the Special Enquiry Team, which will decide whether the Prime Minister and other Whitehall staff broke the law by attending illegal gatherings.

A Met-lifer, she is one of Dame Cressida Dick’s most trusted lieutenants, who rose through the ranks, earning her spurs in the tough world of frontline borough policing.

Described by those who know her as the “epitome of no nonsense” and “a proper cop’s cop”, she is seen as a safe pair of hands to take on overall responsibility for the highly sensitive job.

One Scotland Yard source said on Tuesday: “Jane just gets on with the job. Nothing intimidates her, she takes it all in her stride. She is very plain speaking and certainly won’t be taken in by a load of Latin phrases.”

Despite her tough reputation, DAC Connors is often used as the public face of Met campaign’s to reassure the public in the wake of major events.

Last year she led the policing operation in London around the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral and was also given responsibility for reassuring women and girls following the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Met officer.

In 2017 she played a key role in the Met’s strategic reponse to the Westminster terror attack and has also been one of the key figures in handling the toxic issue of stop and search in London.

She was also in charge of handling the Extinction Rebellion protests, which became a huge headache for the police.

A champion for gender equality and diversity in policing, she was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Last year DAC Connors took over as the strategic lead for the Covid-19 response in London, which is why the “partygate” investigation has ended up on her desk.

The ‘Celebrity Squad’

The inquiry will be carried out by the Special Enquiry Team which has been dubbed the “Celebrity Squad” because of its role in investigating high profile figures.

Launched in 2002, the unit was set up to investigate sensitive and confidential issues involving high profile subjects and domestic PEPs (politically-exposed persons).

It led the investigation into MP’s and Lords’ expenses and also the cash for honours scandal.

More recently the team was in charge of the review of evidence that followed allegations made against Prince Andrew and also the cash for honours claims linked to the Prince of Wales.

The unit will report to another senior female officer, Commander Catherine Roper, who is the Met’s lead for community engagement.

The former borough commander for Islington and Central North, she is regarded as another of Scotland Yard’s most effective and impressive figures.