Britain's most senior police officer is set to face a vote of no-confidence today over the fatal shooting of a Brazilian mistaken by officers for a suicide bomber.
London Commissioner Sir Ian Blair will face a meeting of the 23-member Metropolitan Police Authority, which oversees London's force and can remove him, with the approval of Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.
He will almost certainly face a vote of no-confidence at the meeting, although he is likely to survive thanks to the support of Labour and independent members.
On November 1st, Sir Ian's force was found guilty in a trial under workplace health and safety laws of failing to protect the public over the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, shot dead by officers on an underground train on July 22nd, 2005.
They believed he was one of four men who had tried to carry out suicide bombings on the capital's transport system the day before, but failed to stop him before he boarded the train.
Sir Ian was criticised by an independent watchdog for trying initially trying to block their inquiry into the killing.
Since the health and safety trial Sir Ian has faced almost daily calls for his resignation but has insisted he will not quit, saying that crime in the capital is falling and it would be wrong for him to be hounded out of his job.
The capital's mayor, Labour's Ken Livingstone, has also firmly thrown his support behind the police chief, and a poll last week indicated that more Londoners thought he should stay than go.