Red Ken returns
The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, is to imminently rejoin the Labour Party, according to reports.
Tony Blair is thought to be backing the move to bring “Red Ken” back into the party fold.
According to yesterday’s Guardian newspaper, Mr Blair may ask Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to invite Mr Livingstone back before next June’s London mayoral election.
The Prime Minister would like to have a Labour Major of London in the run up to the next general election, as it would send a strong message to London voters.
The left-wing former MP was expelled from the Labour Party for five years after he chose to stand against Labour’s Frank Dobson as an independent in the 2000 mayoral race.
The London Major said yesterday: “Until it is sources in Number 10, until the tall man with the smile sings, it isn’t over. If I’m offered it, I’ll take it. I think both the Prime Minister and myself recognise we are not going to change each other. We have learnt to accept each other.
“If I’m the Labour candidate next summer, it won’t mean I’m supporting the war against Iraq and it won’t mean he supports everything I say about President Bush. In a grown-up world, you’ve just got to accept the fact that politicians don’t all believe the same thing.”
Tory candidate for London Mayor, Steve Norris, is believed to back Mr Livingstone’s return to the party, as it may cut into his popularity as an independent.
