Govt defeated on NCA vote
Peers have voted against the Government on transferring responsibility for counter-terrorism from the Metropolitan Police to the National Crime Agency.
A Labour amendment which would force the Government to introduce primary legislation if it wished to transfer the power was carried by a majority of 21 after 54 crossbenchers joined the Opposition.
In the debate over the amendment, former Met Commissioner Lord Blair said he was "suspicious" of the motives behind the potential move.
He said Boris Johnson had been seeking to remove national responsibilities from the Met since becoming Mayor in 2008 to give City Hall “the untrammelled ability” to select the Commissioner.