Labour peer Toby Harris to lead inquiry into London’s security

Sadiq Khan has appointed a counter-terrorism expert to lead his independent review into London’s readiness to respond to a major attack.

Labour peer Toby Harris, a member of the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy, will investigate how prepared the emergency services would be.

Lord Harris, who previously oversaw the Metropolitan Police’s national counter-terror strategy, will look into the Met, British Transport Police, the City of London force, the fire brigade and ambulance services.

The overarching review also extends to town halls, Transport for London and the Port of London Authority, which would all have to leap into action in the event of an incident.

The Mayor, who has said the security of Londoners is his biggest priority, first promised to hold a review after the attacks on Paris and Brussels during the election campaign.

Senior figures at each of the organisations have assured the Standard they are ready for action and regularly carry out internal reviews — however, Mr Khan wants to see for himself.

He said: “Nothing is more important to me than keeping Londoners safe. As a father of two daughters, I worry about my family going about our city just as I worry about all Londoners.”