Laurence Goldbourne Leaves The MPA.

A reader got in touch to tell me that Laurence Gouldbourne, Head of Equalities and Diversity at the MPA, had been made redundant "effective immediately". I'm told it "happened so quickly that no-one in the MPA seems to know any more detail than this - including his staff." I contacted the MPA to find out more and was sent the following statement:

"The Metropolitan Police Authority, in full discussion and agreement with the Head of Equalities and Diversity, and with the knowledge of the Public and Commercial Services Union and the Metropolitan Black Police Association, has undergone an internal restructuring which has resulted in the head of the unit being made redundant.

The MPA is determined that equalities and diversity are mainstreamed and embedded in all aspects of MPA and MPS business and we are committed to ensuring they remain at the heart of everything we do. This restructuring will help to ensure this vision.

New oversight mechanisms will ensure business units and work programmes are held to account for equalities and diversity delivery and this in turn will strengthen the impact of equalities and diversity going forward in an ever more effective way."

This begged a few questions, not least why this decision had been made and whether it was anything to do with Mayor Johnson. To the latter I received the answer "no", but was unable to extract even a crumb of further information. Can anyone tell me more?