Sir Ian Blair initially tried to avoid giving evidence to the inquiry into the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, it emerged today.

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner wrote to the Home Office claiming that police lives could be at risk if he gave material on the shooting to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

The letter, sent by hand to Home Office Permanent Secretary Sir John Gieve and incorrectly dated July 21, was published today following a request under the Freedom of Information Act.

Just hours after Mr de Menezes was wrongly identified as a suicide bomb suspect and shot at Stockwell Tube Station, south London, on July 22, Sir Ian wrote: "I have given instructions that the shooting that has just occurred at Stockwell is not to be referred to the IPCC and that they will be given no access to the scene at the present time."

Today the Commissioner admitted the decision to try to exclude the IPCC may have turned out to be wrong but it was a "responsible" decision at the time.

He denied the letter was part of an attempted cover-up or that he tried to block an independent inquiry into the shooting to protect his officers.

Mr de Menezes, a Brazilian electrician, was shot in the head seven times by officers as he tried to board a Northern Line train at Stockwell.

The police initially said Mr de Menezes had been challenged and was shot after refusing to obey police orders. Scotland Yard also said that Mr de Menezes's "clothing and his behaviour at the station added to their suspicions".

The following day, by which time senior police officers knew there had been a mistake, Sir Ian had publicly linked the Brazilian to terrorism.

It has since emerged that the police operation on July 22 - monitoring a flat in Tulse Hill where one of the four alleged failed suicide bombers was believed to be living - was chaotic.

The blunders began as Mr de Menezes left his flat in the same block at 9.30am. The undercover officer who was meant to identify anyone leaving the flats admitted that he had left his post, so could not communicate observations or take video footage. He was able to say that de Menezes did not fit the description of Hussain Osman, one of the suspects.

But Gold Command at Scotland Yard, which ran this operation, still declared a "code red" and handed responsibility to CO19 -the firearms team.

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