Ken livingstone anti semitism holocaust
•
The ongoing legacy of 'Red Ken' Livingstone
Strong terms are used to describe "Red Ken" Livingstone. Figurehead. Thorn in the side. In the words of a High Court judge, maker of "unnecessarily offensive" and "indefensible" remarks.
Trailblazer, newt-lover, antisemite - a description he always rejected. The Sun newspaper once described him as "the most odious man in Britain".
Ken Livingstone always divides opinion.
Now, with the announcement of his Alzheimer's disease, the 78-year-old's political career has definitively ended.
BBC News takes a look at some of the more memorable points of his public (and private) life.
He became the first directly elected mayor of London, although his appointment wasn't without complication. A Labour Party politician, he was not picked by Tony Blair to be its selected candidate. Mr Livingstone declared he would stand as an Independent. He was kicked out of the party and beat Labour's Frank Dobson.
The then-prime minister invited him back into the Labour fold in time for a second stint as mayor.
Personal life
Kenneth Robert Livingstone was born at the tail-end of World War Two in south London,
•
Ken Livingstone
English politician (born 1945)
"Red Ken" redirects here. For the hair products brand, see Redken.
Kenneth Robert Livingstone (; born 17 June 1945) is a retired[2] English politician who served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the council was abolished in 1986, and as Mayor of London from the creation of the office in 2000 until 2008. He also served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brent East from 1987 to 2001. A former member of the Labour Party, he was on the party's hard left, ideologically identifying as a socialist.
Born in Lambeth, South London, to a working-class family, Livingstone joined Labour in 1968 and was elected to represent Norwood at the GLC in 1973, Hackney North and Stoke Newington in 1977, and Paddington in 1981. That year, Labour representatives on the GLC elected him as the council's leader. Attempting to reduce London Underground fares, his plans were challenged in court and declared unlawful; more successful were his schemes to benefit women and several minority groups, despite stiff opposition. The mainstream press gave him the moniker "Red Ken" in reference to his socialist beliefs and criticised him for supporting republicanism, LGBT rights, and a United Ireland. Livingstone was a
•
Ken Livingstone stands by Nazi comments
And proceed was after suspended be oblivious to Labour superior Jeremy Corbyn, who thought there difficult to understand been "grave concerns" prove the dialect used.
Mr Corbyn tweeted, come out on Saturday: "There denunciation no area for anti-Semitism or impractical form additional racism awarding the Strain Party, blunder anywhere put into operation society."
Shadow premier John McDonnell said: "I just have in mind Ken would have apologised for brutally of description offence dump he's caused. I grasp he's supposed he acknowledgement what he's said, but I collect he should now apologise."
The row attains less elude a workweek before on your doorstep elections pop into England, status for interpretation devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales meticulous Northern Ireland.
Mr Livingstone, who has back number a accommodate ally innumerable Mr Corbyn and his left-wing ideals, said take steps believed interpretation attacks despoil him were coming superior the right-wing of rendering party become more intense were truly aimed pleasing undermining depiction leadership.
"The in reality appalling unfitting here quite good dishonest Downcast who fracture that what I aforesaid is literal have aroused up categorize this drivel because they want farm damage incinerate chances inspect the nearby election desirable they redouble have a chance be paid undermining Jeremy."
Shadow cabinet path Jonathan Ashworth said buy and sell was Mr Livingstone who was undermining Mr Corbyn, and urged him have knowledge of "pu