BORIS Johnson has received surprise backing for his sacking of Met Commissioner Sir Ian Blair - from former London Mayor Ken Livingston.

Mr Livingston praised Sir Ian's management of the Metropolitan Police, but insisted that elected mayors should have the right to sack police chiefs.

He made the comments in an interview to be broadcast by the BBC over the weekend.

Tory Mr Johnson defeated Labour's Mr Livingstone in the London Mayoral elections in May.

He has come under fire for his decision to demand Sir Ian's resignation, with Home Office Minister Lord West of Spithead claiming the sacking "was not fair and it is not the correct way to do things".

Sir Ian is to quit in December, more than a year before his contract ends..

But Mr Livingstone, in an interview with the BBC News' Straight Talk, said: "I believe that the mayor should be able to appoint and dismiss the chief of police.

"I think it is right the mayor should be much more effectively running the police, taking over the Home Secretary's role."

However, he defended Sir Ian, saying: "Now, if crime was going up and the clear-up rate by the police was going down, you would have a case saying, well, this man's got to go.

"But we have had falling crime each year he's been commissioner."

He added: "I just really worry that we have established the precedent that will remove commissioners of police on the basis of a media campaign."

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