Met chief Dame Cressida Dick has been referred to a police watchdog about a botched investigation into false claims of a VIP sex abuse ring.
The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) asked the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to look into the matter following a formal complaint from former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor.
Mr Proctor, 72, accused the Metropolitan Police Commissioner of failing to correct false claims of abuse that were made by fantasist Carl Beech who lied about non-existent abuse by high profile government minister in 2014.
These claims were also echoed by a senior officer as “credible and true”.
Beech’s allegations sparked an extensive multi-million pound police investigation, dubbed Operation Midland, into Mr Proctor when Beech falsely told detectives that he had been sexually abused and tortured by a former prime minister, home secretary and the heads of the Army and intelligence services.
In a statement issued on Friday, the IOPC said they had “received a voluntary referral from MOPAC regarding a complaint about public comments made by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner about Operation Midland.
“The referral also alleges the commissioner failed to take action to correct a statement made to the media by an Operation Midland detective.
“We are assessing the information provided to determine whether an investigation is necessary and, if so, what level of involvement is required by the IOPC.
“We will provide a further statement once our decision is made.”
Dame Cressida said she will co-operate with any inquiry.
Dame Cressida has previously said she is "deeply sorry" for mistakes made during Operation Midland.
The 16-month investigation ended in 2016 without a single arrest.
The homes of D-Day veteran Lord Bramall; Lady Diana Brittan, the widow of former home secretary Leon Brittan, and former Tory MP Harvey Proctor were all raided during the inquiry.
A report published in October found the main cause of the force's investigation into Beech's claims was "poor judgement and a failure to accurately evaluate known facts".
In a statement at the time Dame Cressida said: "I am deeply sorry for the mistakes that were made during our investigations into the appalling lies spun by Carl Beech.
"They simply should not have happened.
"My predecessor apologised to Lord Bramall, Lady Brittan and Harvey Proctor. I have too. I repeat that apology again today."
Beech was found guilty of inventing the Westminister VIP ring and sentenced to 18 years in jail in July.
