The body responsible for governing Scotland Yard has denied it has shelved a report on the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes for political reasons.
Members of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) agreed to a wide-ranging review of the knock-on effects of the Stockwell Tube station tragedy last November.
It came after the force was found guilty of health and safety failures at the Old Bailey and as Commissioner Sir Ian Blair survived a vote of no confidence.
But publication of the report has been delayed because of the "huge volume" of material involved and the "meticulous analysis" under way, an MPA spokesman said.
He rejected claims in the press that publication has been put back because of political sensitivities. Londoners will go to the polls to elect a new mayor and members of the London Assembly on May 1.
Sources said there had been "inexplicable" delays to the report into the aftermath of one of the blackest days in the force's history.
The MPA spokesman said it is a "gross misinterpretation" to claim the report has been delayed for political reasons or because it criticises Sir Ian, adding: "The timetable for completion of the report has slipped due to the huge volume of evidence presented to the panel and the meticulous analysis required to complete the report."
Mr de Menezes, 27, was shot dead by armed police who mistook him for suicide bomber Hussain Osman on July 22, 2005. The Metropolitan Police was fined £175,000 with a further bill of £985,000 for prosecution and defence legal costs last October.
A jury found the force guilty of a string of health and safety failures in the botched operation.
The report is expected to be published in several months.
