Candidates for Merseyside chief constable and Met deputy commissioner set to be appointed without competition

Two of the most senior jobs in British policing paying more than £200,000 a year have attracted only one applicant each, the Guardian has learned.

The roles were deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan police and chief constable of Merseyside police, based in Liverpool.

Investigators still not clear if there is a continuing danger to the public after arrests across England

Four Iranian men were being questioned over an alleged major terror plot against a “specific” British target as investigators urgently try to establish whether there is any continuing danger to the public despite the arrests.

The men, all Iranian nationals, were arrested on Saturday, with armed police, and in at least one instance special forces soldiers, sent in to detain them amid fears some of the suspects might have had weapons.