In their time working together, Dame Cressida and Ms Patel have had a frank relationship but shared an ideology; both were horrified by the 2019 eco-protests that shut down the capital and are staunch advocates of stop and search.

Both, too, have spoken out over their opposition to taking the knee, the symbol of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. It is not surprising, therefore, that it was Mr Khan who wielded the axe rather than Ms Patel, who appears to have been blindsided by the mayor’s actions.

The anger from the Met police federation at the Mayor’s moves also explains how she has survived despite the scandals and debacles. “She should have been treated better,” Ken Marsh, chair of the federation, which represents frontline officers, said last night.

In other words, she had their backs and their respect, says Mr Marsh. “She’s a good cop, simple as that,” he says of the woman who successfully led Operation Trident, one of the force’s grittiest jobs.

She has had vast operational experience, including running the Met’s counter-terrorism unit although her earlier Met career was not without controversy.