Plans for direct elections to police authorities have been dropped by the Government amid fears that they would lead to extremist politicians being able to control forces.

Ministers also decided that the controversial proposal would run into strong opposition on the back benches and in the House of Lords, leading to another embarrassing defeat.

The leader of Labour’s 5,000 local government councillors had previously complained that the plans could lead to British National Party members holding positions of power over policing in England and Wales and being able to dictate priorities.

The decision comes just weeks after the ousting of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, a move that many senior police officers saw as overt political interference in policing.

Ministers were anxious not to get into a public argument with senior police officers who have become increasingly alarmed about political attempts to try to control the police.

Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, will disclose the decision today when the Home Office publishes its policing and crime Bill. She will insist that the Government still wants to increase the police’s public accountability but the plan for direct elections to the authorities which oversee the 43 forces in England and Wales is not in the Bill.

A Whitehall source said last night that the decision had been taken because ministers realised that there was little chance of the measure getting through Parliament.

Instead the former Home Secretary David Blunkett is to carry out a review into how to increase police accountability to the public. Any recommendations he makes are expected to be in Labour’s next general election manifesto.

Last night the Association of Police Authorities said: “It is a victory for common sense that the Government has listened to police authorities and decided not to introduce direct elections in the Bill.”

Sir Jeremy Beecham, leader of the Labour group on the Local Government Association, said that direct elections to police authorities would harm the ability to fight crime.

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