Ken Livingstone | |
|---|---|
 Livingstone at theWorld Economic Forum in 2008 | |
| 1stMayor of London | |
| In office 4 May 2000 – 3 May 2008 | |
| Deputy | Nicky Gavron Jenny Jones Nicky Gavron |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Boris Johnson |
| Leader of the Greater London Council | |
| In office 17 May 1981 – 31 March 1986 | |
| Deputy | Illtyd Harrington John McDonnell Michael Ward |
| Preceded by | Horace Cutler |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Member of Parliament forBrent East | |
| In office 11 June 1987 – 14 May 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Reg Freeson |
| Succeeded by | Paul Daisley |
| Councillor for theGreater London Council | |
| In office 12 April 1973 – 31 March 1986 | |
| Divisions | Norwood (1973–1977) Hackney North and Stoke Newington (1977–1981) Paddington (1981–1986) |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Councillor for theLambeth London Borough Council | |
| In office 13 May 1971 – 4 May 1978 | |
| Ward | Knight's Hill |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kenneth Robert Livingstone (1945-06-17)17 June 1945 (age 80) Lambeth, London, England |
| Political party | Independent (2000–2003; 2018–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Labour (1968–2000; 2003–2018) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Philippa Fawcett Teacher Training College |
| ||
|---|---|---|
Mayor of London (2000–2008) Elections  | ||
Kenneth Robert Livingstone[a] (born 17 June 1945) is an English politician who served as the Leader of theGreater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the council wasabolished in 1986, and as the firstmayor of London from thecreation of the office in 2000 until2008. He also served as the Member of Parliament (MP) forBrent East from1987 to2001. He is a former member of theLabour Party, ideologically identifying as asocialist.
Born inLambeth,South London, to a working-class family, Livingstone joined Labour in 1968 and was elected to representNorwood at the GLC in1973,Hackney North and Stoke Newington in1977, andPaddington in1981. That year, Labour representatives on the GLC elected him as the council's leader. Attempting toreduce 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 supportingrepublicanism,LGBT rights, and aUnited Ireland. Livingstone was a vocal opponent of theConservative Party government of Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher, which in 1986 abolished the GLC. Elected as MP for Brent East in 1987, he became closely associated withanti-racist campaigns. He attempted to stand for the position ofLabour Party leader followingNeil Kinnock's resignation in1992, but failed to get enough nominations. Livingstone became a vocal critic ofTony Blair'sNew Labour project that pushed the party closer to thepolitical centre and won the1997 general election.
After failing to become Labour's candidate in the2000 London mayoral election, Livingstone successfully contested the election as anindependent candidate. In his first term as Mayor of London, he introduced thecongestion charge,Oyster card, andarticulated buses, and unsuccessfully opposed the privatisation ofLondon Underground. Despite his opposition to Blair's government on issues like theIraq War, Livingstone was invited to stand for re-election as Labour's candidate.Re-elected in 2004, he expanded his transport policies, introduced new environmental regulations, and enacted civil rights reforms. Overseeing London's winning bid to host the2012 Summer Olympics and ushering in a major redevelopment of the city'sEast End, his leadership after the7 July 2005 London bombings was widely praised. After losing both the2008 and2012 London mayoral elections to the Conservative candidateBoris Johnson, Livingstone became a key ally of Labour leaderJeremy Corbyn in 2015. A longstanding critic ofIsraeli policy regarding Palestinians, his comments about the relationship betweenAdolf Hitler andZionism resulted in his 2016 suspension from Labour. He resigned from the party in 2018.
One of the most prominent left-wing British politicians of modern times, Livingstone was a controversial and polarising figure. Supporters praised his efforts to improve rights for women, LGBT people, and ethnic minorities in London, but critics emphasised allegations ofcronyism andantisemitism, as well as his connections toIrish republicans andIslamist extremists.
Kenneth Robert Livingstone was born in his grandmother's house at 21 Shrubbery RoadStreatham,South London, on 17 June 1945.[2] His family was working class; his mother, Ethel Ada (née Kennard, 1915–1997), had been born inSouthwark before training as anacrobatic dancer and working on themusic hall circuit prior to theSecond World War.[3][4] Ken's Scottish father, Robert "Bob" Moffat Livingstone (1915–1971), had been born inDunoon before joining theMerchant Navy in 1932 and becoming aship's master.[5][6]
Having first met in April 1940 at amusic hall inWorkington, they married within three months. After the war the couple moved in with Ethel's aggressive mother, Zona Ann (Williams), whom Livingstone considered "tyrannical".[7] Livingstone's sister Lin was born 21⁄2 years later.[8] Robert and Ethel went through various jobs in the post-war years, with the former working on fishing trawlers andEnglish Channel ferries, while the latter worked in a bakers, atFreemans catalogue dispatch and as a cinema usherette.[9] Livingstone's parents were "working classTories", and unlike many Conservative voters at the time did not hold tosocially conservative views on race and sexuality, opposing racism and homophobia.[10] The family was nominallyAnglican, although Livingstone abandoned Christianity when he was 11, becoming anatheist.[11]
Moving to aTulse Hillcouncil housing estate, Livingstone attended St. Leonard's Primary School, and after failing his11-plus exam, in 1956 began secondary education atTulse Hill Comprehensive School.[12] In 1957, his family purchased their own property at 66 Wolfington Road,West Norwood.[13] Rather shy at school, he was bullied, and got into trouble for truancy.[14] One year, his form master wasPhilip Hobsbaum, who encouraged his pupils to debate current events, first interesting Livingstone in politics. He related that he became "an argumentative cocky little brat" at home, bringing up topics at the dinner table to enrage his father.[15] His interest in politics was furthered by the 1958 Papal election ofPope John XXIII – a man who had "a strong impact" on Livingstone – and the1960 United States presidential election.[16] At Tulse Hill Comprehensive he gained an interest inamphibians and reptiles, keeping several as pets; his mother worried that rather than focusing on school work all he cared about was "his pet lizard and friends".[17] At school he attained fourO-levels in English Literature, English Language, Geography and Art, subjects he later described as "the easy ones". He started work rather than stay on for the non-compulsorysixth form, which required six O-levels.[18]
From 1962 to 1970, he worked as a technician at theChester Beattycancer research laboratory inFulham, looking after animals used inexperimentation.[19] Most of the technicians were socialists, and Livingstone helped found a branch of theAssociation of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs to fight redundancies imposed by company bosses.[20] Livingstone's leftist views solidified upon the election of Labour Prime MinisterHarold Wilson in 1964.[21] With a friend from Chester Beatty, Livingstone toured West Africa in 1966, visiting Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Lagos, Ghana and Togo. Interested in the region's wildlife, Livingstone rescued an infant ostrich from being eaten, donating it to the Lagos children's zoo.[22] Returning home, he took part in several protest marches as a part of theanti-Vietnam War movement, becoming increasingly interested in politics and briefly subscribing to the publication of alibertarian socialist group,Solidarity.[23]
Livingstone joined theLabour Party in March 1968, when he was 23 years old, later describing it as "one of the few recorded instances of a rat climbing aboard a sinking ship".[24] At the time, many leftists were leaving due to the Labour government's support for the U.S. in theVietnam War, cuts to theNational Health Service budget, and restrictions on trade unions; some joined far-left parties like theInternational Socialists or theSocialist Labour League, or single-issue groups like theCampaign for Nuclear Disarmament and theChild Poverty Action Group.[24] The party was suffering mass electoral defeat at the local elections. In London, Labour lost 15 boroughs, including Livingstone'sLondon Borough of Lambeth, which came under Conservative control.[25] Contrastingly, Livingstone believed that grassroots campaigning – such asthe 1968 student protests – were ineffective, joining Labour because he considered it the best chance for implementing progressive political change in the UK.[26]
"My arrival [at the Norwood Labour Party meetings] had been rather like taking a bottle of gin into a room full of alcoholics. I was immediately passed round and consumed."
Joining his local Labour branch inNorwood, he involved himself in their operations, within a month becoming chair and secretary of the NorwoodYoung Socialists, gaining a place on the constituency's General Management and Executive Committees, and sitting on the Local Government Committee who prepared Labour's manifesto for the next borough election.[28] Hoping for better qualifications, he attended night school, gaining O-levels in Human Anatomy, Physiology and Hygiene, and an A-level in Zoology. Leaving his job at Chester Beatty, in September 1970 he began a 3-year course at the Philippa Fawcett Teacher Training College (PFTTC) inStreatham; his attendance was poor, and he considered it "a complete waste" of time. Beginning a romantic relationship with Christine Chapman, president of the PFTTC student's union, the couple married in 1973.[29]
Realising the Conservative governance of Lambeth Borough council was hard to unseat, Livingstone aided Eddie Lopez in reaching out to members of the local populace disenfranchised from the traditional Labour leadership. Associating with the leftist Schools' Action Union (SAU) founded in the wake of the 1968 student protests, he encouraged members of theBrixton branch of theBlack Panthers to join Labour.[30] His involvement in the SAU led to his dismissal from the PFTCC student's union, who disagreed with politicising secondary school pupils.[31]
"It was intoxicating to be at what seemed at the time the centre of events. We were pushing ahead with our schemes. We had honoured our pledge that pensioners should travel free on London Transport buses. We introduced the provision of free contraception for anyone who lived or worked in the borough. WhenMrs Thatcher (then Education Secretary) made it illegal for Education Authorities to give children free school milk, Lambeth – which was not an education authority – stepped in to continue paying for the service."
In 1971, Livingstone and his comrades developed a new strategy for obtaining political power in Lambeth borough. Focusing on campaigning for the marginal seats in the south of the borough, the safe Labour seats in the north were left to established party members. Public dissatisfaction with the Conservative government of Prime MinisterEdward Heath led to Labour's best local government results since the 1940s; Labour leftists gained every marginal seat in Lambeth, and the borough returned to Labour control.[33] Livingstone was elected to represent theKnight's Hill ward in May 1971[34] and was re-elected in 1974.[35] In October 1971, Livingstone's father died of a heart attack; his mother soon moved toLincoln.[36] That year, Labour members voted Livingstone vice-chairman of the Housing Committee on theLambeth London Borough Council, his first job in local government.[37] Reforming the housing system, Livingstone and Committee Chairman Ewan Carr cancelled the proposed rent increase forcouncil housing, temporarily halting the construction of Europe's largest tower blocks, and founded a Family Squatting Group to ensure that homeless families would be immediately rehoused throughsquatting in empty houses. He increased the number ofcompulsory purchase orders for private-rented properties, converting them to council housing.[38] They faced opposition to their reforms, which were cancelled by central government.[39]
Livingstone and the leftists became embroiled in factional in-fighting within Labour, vying with centrist members for powerful positions. Although never adoptingMarxism, Livingstone became involved with a number ofTrotskyist groups active within Labour; viewing them as potential allies, he became friends withChris Knight, Graham Bash and Keith Veness, members of the Socialist Charter, a Trotskyist cell affiliated with theRevolutionary Communist League that hadinfiltrated the Labour party.[40] In his struggle against Labour centrists, Livingstone was influenced by TrotskyistTed Knight, who convinced him to oppose the use of British troops inNorthern Ireland, believing they would simply be used to quash nationalist protests against British rule.[41] Livingstone stood as the leftist candidate for the Chair of the Lambeth Housing Committee in April 1973, but was defeated byDavid Stimpson, who undid many of Livingstone and Carr's reforms.[42]
In June 1972, after a campaign orchestrated by Eddie Lopez, Livingstone was selected as the Labour candidate forNorwood in theGreater London Council (GLC). In the 1973 GLC elections, he won the seat with 11,622 votes, a clear lead over his Conservative rival.[43] Led byReg Goodwin, the GLC was dominated by Labour, who had 57 seats, compared to 33 held by the Conservatives and 2 by theLiberal Party. Of the Labour GLC members, around 16, including Livingstone, were staunch leftists.[44] Representing Norwood in the GLC, Livingstone continued as a Lambeth councillor and Vice Chairman of the Lambeth Housing Committee, criticising Lambeth council's dealings with the borough's homeless. Learning that the council had pursued a discriminatory policy of allocating the best housing to white working-class families, Livingstone went public with the evidence, which was published in theSouth London Press.[45] In August 1973, he publicly threatened to resign from the Lambeth Housing Committee if the council failed "to honour longstanding promises" to rehouse 76 homeless families then staying in dilapidated and overcrowdedhalfway accommodation. Frustrated at the council's failure to achieve this, he resigned from the Housing Committee in December 1973.[46]
Considered a radical by the GLC's Labour leadership, Livingstone was allocated the unimportant position of Vice Chairman of the Film Viewing Board, monitoring the release ofsoft pornography. Like most board members, Livingstone opposed censorship, a view he changed with the increasing availability ofextreme pornography.[47] With growing support from Labour leftists, in March 1974 he was elected to the executive of the Greater London Labour Party (GLLP), responsible for drawing up the manifesto for the GLC Labour group and the lists of candidates for council and parliamentary seats.[48] Turning his attention once more to housing, he became Vice Chairman of the GLC's Housing Management Committee, but was sacked in April 1975 for his opposition to the Goodwin administration's decision to cut £50 million from the GLC's housebuilding budget.[49] With the1977 GLC elections approaching, Livingstone recognised the difficulty of retaining his Norwood seat, instead being selected forHackney North and Stoke Newington, a Laboursafe seat, following the retirement ofDavid Pitt. Accused of being a "carpetbagger", it ensured he was one of the few leftist Labour councillors to remain on the GLC, which fell into Conservative hands underHorace Cutler.[50]
Turning towards theHouses of Parliament, Livingstone and Christine moved toWest Hampstead,north London; in June 1977 he was selected by local party members as the Labour parliamentary candidate for theHampstead constituency, beatingVince Cable.[51] He gained notoriety in theHampstead and Highgate Express for publicly reaffirming his support for the controversial issue ofLGBT rights, declaring he supported the reduction of theage of consent for male same-sex activity from 21 to 16, in line with the different-sex age of consent.[52] Becoming active in the politics of theLondon Borough of Camden, Livingstone was elected Chair of Camden's Housing Committee; putting forward radical reforms, he democratised council housing meetings by welcoming local people, froze rents for a year, reformed the rate collection system, changed rent arrears procedures and implemented further compulsory purchase orders to increase council housing. Criticised by some senior colleagues as incompetent and excessively ambitious, some accused him of encouraging leftists to move into the borough's council housing to increase his local support base.[53]
In 1979, internal crisis rocked Labour as activist group, the Campaign for Labour Democracy, struggled with theParliamentary Labour Party for a greater say in party management.[54] Livingstone joined the activists, on 15 July 1978 helping unify small left wing groups as the Socialist Campaign for a Labour Victory (SCLV). Producing a sporadically published paper,Socialist Organiser, as a mouthpiece for Livingstone's views,[55] it criticised Labour Prime MinisterJames Callaghan as "anti-working class".[56] In January 1979, Britain was hit by a series of public sector worker strikes that came to be known as the "Winter of Discontent". In Camden Borough, council employees unionised under theNational Union of Public Employees (NUPE) went on strike, demanding a 35-hour limit to their working week and a weekly wage increase to £60. Livingstone backed the strikers, urging Camden Council to grant their demands, eventually getting his way. District auditor Ian Pickwell, a government-appointed accountant who monitored council finances, claimed that this move was reckless and illegal, taking Camden Council to court. If found guilty, Livingstone would have been held personally responsible for the measure, forced to pay the massivesurcharge, and been disqualified for public office for five years; ultimately the judge threw out the case.[57]
In May 1979, ageneral election was held in the United Kingdom. Standing as Labour candidate for Hampstead, Livingstone was defeated by the incumbent Conservative,Geoffrey Finsberg. Weakened by the Winter of Discontent, Callaghan's government lost to the Conservatives, whose leader,Margaret Thatcher, became prime minister. A staunch right-winger andfree market advocate, she became a bitter opponent of the labour movement and Livingstone.[58] Following the electoral defeat, Livingstone toldSocialist Organiser that the blame lay solely with the "Labour government's policies" and the anti-democratic attitude of Callaghan and the Parliamentary Labour Party, calling for greater party democracy and a turn towards a socialist platform. This was a popular message among many Labour activists amassed under the SCLV. The primary figurehead for this leftist trend wasTony Benn, who narrowly missed being elected deputy leader of Labour in September 1981, under new party leaderMichael Foot. The head of the "Bennite left", Benn became "an inspiration and a prophet" to Livingstone; the two became the best known left-wingers in Labour.[59]
Inspired by the Bennites, Livingstone planned a GLC take-over; on 18 October 1979, he called a meeting of Labour leftists entitled "Taking over the GLC", beginning publication of monthly newsletter theLondon Labour Briefing. Focused on increasing leftist power in the London Labour Party, he urged socialists to stand as candidates in the upcoming GLC election. When the time came to choose who would lead London Labour in that election, Livingstone put his name down, but was challenged by the moderateAndrew McIntosh; in the April 1980 vote, McIntosh beat Livingstone by 14 votes to 13.[60] In September 1980, Livingstone separated from his wife Christine, though they remained amicable. Moving into a small flat at 195Randolph Avenue,Maida Vale with his pet reptiles and amphibians, he divorced in October 1982 and began a relationship withKate Allen, chair of Camden Council Women's Committee.[61]
Livingstone turned his attention to achieving a GLC Labour victory, exchanging his safe seat in Hackney North for the marginal Inner London seat ofPaddington; in May 1981 he won the seat by 2,397 votes.[62] Cutler and the Conservatives learned of Livingstone's plans, proclaiming that a GLC Labour victory would lead to a Marxist takeover of London and then Britain; the Conservative press picked up the story, with theDaily Express using the headline of "Why We Must Stop These Red Wreckers".[63] The media coverage was ineffective, and the GLC election of May 1981 led to Labour gaining power, with McIntosh installed as Head of the GLC; within 24 hours he was deposed by members of his own party, and replaced by Livingstone.[64]
On 7 May, Livingstone called a caucus of his supporters; announcing his intent to challenge McIntosh's leadership, he invited those assembled to stand for other GLC posts. The meeting ended at 4:45pm having agreed on a full slate of candidates. At 5 o'clock, McIntosh held a GLC Labour meeting; the attendees called an immediate leadership election, in which Livingstone defeated him by 30 votes to 20. The entire left caucus slate was then elected. The next day, a leftist coup deposedSir Ashley Bramall on theInner London Education Authority (ILEA), replacing him withBryn Davies; the left group now controlled both the GLC and the ILEA.[65]
McIntosh proclaimed the GLC coup illegitimate, asserting that Labour was in danger from a leftist take-over.[66] The mainstream press criticised the coup; theDaily Mail called Livingstone a "left wing extremist", andThe Sun nicknamed him "Red Ken", stating his victory meant "full-steam-ahead red-blooded Socialism for London." TheFinancial Times issued a "warning" that leftists could use such tactics to take control of the government, when "the erosion of our democracy will surely begin."[67] Thatcher joined the rallying call, proclaiming that leftists like Livingstone had "no time forparliamentary democracy", but were plotting "To impose upon this nation a tyranny which the peoples ofEastern Europe yearn to cast aside."[68]
Entering County Hall as GLC leader on 8 May 1981, Livingstone initiated changes, converting the building'sFreemasonic temple into a meeting room and removing many of the privileges enjoyed by GLC members and senior officers.[69] He initiated an open-door policy allowing citizens to hold meetings in the committee rooms free of charge, with County Hall gaining the nickname of "the People's Palace".[70] Livingstone took great pleasure watching the disgust expressed by some Conservative GLC members when non-members began using the building's restaurant.[70] In theLondon Labour Briefing, Livingstone announced "London's ours! After the most vicious GLC election of all time, the Labour Party has won a working majority on a radical socialist programme." He stated that their job was to "sustain a holding operation until such time as the Tory [Conservative] government can be brought down and replaced by a left-wing Labour government."[71] There was a perception among Livingstone's allies that they constituted the genuine opposition to Thatcher's government, with Foot's Labour leadership dismissed as ineffectual; they hoped Benn would soon replace him.[72]
"There is nothing that happens to you at any stage in your life that can prepare you for the British Press in full hue and cry. As a socialist I started out with the lowest possible opinion ofFleet Street and was amazed to discover that they managed to sink even lower than I expected... I would spend hours carefully explaining our policies only to open the paper the next morning and see instead a smear about my sex-life, alleged personality defects or some completely fabricated account of a meeting or a split that never actually happened."
There was a widespread public perception that Livingstone's GLC leadership was illegitimate, while the mainstream British media remained resolutely hostile.[74] Livingstone received the levels of national press attention normally reserved for senior Members of Parliament.[75] A press interview was arranged withMax Hastings for theEvening Standard, in which Livingstone was portrayed as affable but ruthless.[76]The Sun's editorKelvin MacKenzie took a particular interest in Livingstone, establishing a reporting team to 'dig up the dirt' on him; they were unable to uncover any scandalous information, focusing on his interest in amphibians, a hobby mocked by other media sources.[77] The satirical journalPrivate Eye referred to him as "Ken Leninspart", a combination ofVladimir Lenin and the German left-wing group, theSpartacus League,[78] proceeding to erroneously claim that Livingstone received funding from theLibyanJamahiriya. After Livingstone sued them forlibel, in November 1983 the journal apologised, paying him £15,000 in damages in an out-of-court settlement.[79]
During 1982, Livingstone made new appointments to the GLC governance, withJohn McDonnell appointed key chair of finance andValerie Wise chair of the new Women's Committee, whileSir Ashley Bramall became GLC chairman and Tony McBrearty was appointed chair of housing. Others stayed in their former positions, including Dave Wetzel as transport chair and Mike Ward as chair of industry; thus was created what biographer John Carvel described as "the second Livingstone administration", leading to a "more calm and supportive environment".[80] Turning his attention once more to Parliament, Livingstone sought to be selected as the Labour candidate for the constituency ofBrent East, a place which he felt an "affinity" for and where several of his friends lived. At the time, the Brent East Labour Party was characterised by competing factions, with Livingstone attempting to gain the support of both the hard and soft left. Securing a significant level of support from local party members, he nonetheless failed to apply for the candidacy in time, and so the incumbent centristReg Freeson was once more selected as Labour candidate for Brent East. A subsequent vote at the council meeting revealed that 52 local Labour members would have voted for Livingstone, with only 2 for Freeson and 3 abstentions. Nevertheless, in the1983 United Kingdom general election, Freeson went on to win the Brent East constituency for Labour.[81] In 1983, Livingstone began co-presenting a late night television chat show withJanet Street-Porter forLondon Weekend Television.[82]
The Greater London Labour Manifesto for the 1981 elections, although written under McIntosh's leadership, had been determined by a special conference of the London Labour Party in October 1980 in which Livingstone's speech had been decisive on transport policy. The manifesto focused on job creation schemes and cutting London Transport fares, and it was to these issues that Livingstone's administration turned.[83] One primary manifesto focus had been a pledge known asFares Fair, which focused on reducingLondon Underground fares and freezing them at that lower rate. Based on a fare freeze implemented by theSouth Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council in 1975, it was widely considered to be a moderate and mainstream policy by Labour, which it was hoped would get more Londoners using public transport, thereby reducing congestion. In October 1981, the GLC implemented their policy, cutting London Transport fares by 32%; to fund the move, the GLC planned to increase the Londonrates.[84]
The legality of the Fares Fair policy was challenged by Dennis Barkway, Conservative leader of theLondon Borough of Bromley council, who complained that his constituents were having to pay for cheaper fares on the London Underground when it did not operate in their borough. Although the Divisional Court initially found in favour of the GLC, Bromley Borough took the issue to theCourt of Appeal, where three judges –Lord Denning,Lord Justice Oliver and Lord Justice Watkins – reversed the previous decision, finding in favour of Bromley Borough on 10 November. They proclaimed that the Fares Fair policy was illegal because the GLC was expressly forbidden from choosing to run London Transport at a deficit, even if this was in the perceived interest of Londoners.[85] The GLC appealed this decision, taking the case to theHouse of Lords; on 17 December fiveLaw Lords unanimously ruled in favour of Bromley Borough Council, putting a permanent end to the Fares Fair policy.[86] GLC transport chairman Dave Wetzel labelled the judges "Vandals in Ermine" while Livingstone maintained his belief that the judicial decision was politically motivated.[87]
Initially presenting a motion to the GLC Labour groups that they refuse to comply with the judicial decision and continue with the policy regardless, but was out-voted by 32–22; many commentators claimed that Livingstone had only been bluffing in order to save face among the Labour Left.[88] Instead, Livingstone got on board with a campaign known as "Keep Fares Fair" in order to bring about a change in the law that would make the Fares Fair policy legal; an alternate movement, "Can't Pay, Won't Pay", accused Livingstone of being a sell-out and insisted that the GLC proceed with its policies regardless of their legality.[89] One aspect of the London Transport reforms was however maintained; the new system offlat fares within ticket zones, and the inter-modalTravelcard ticket continues as the basis of the ticketing system.[90] The GLC then put together new measures in the hope of reducing London Transport fares by the more modest amount of 25%, taking them back to roughly the price that they were when Livingstone's administration took office; it was ruled legal in January 1983, and subsequently implemented.[91]
Livingstone's administration founded the Greater London Enterprise Board (GLEB) to create employment by investing in the industrial regeneration of London, with the funds provided by the council, its workers' pension fund and the financial markets. Livingstone later claimed that GLC bureaucrats obstructed much of what GLEB tried to achieve.[92] Other policies implemented by the Labour Left also foundered. Attempts to prevent the sale-off of GLC council housing largely failed, in part due to the strong opposition from the Conservative government.[93] ILEA attempted to carry through with its promise to cut the price ofschool meals in the capital from 35p to 25p, but was forced to abandon its plans following legal advice that the councillors could be made to pay the surcharge and disqualified from public office.[94]
The Livingstone administration took a strong stance on the issue ofnuclear disarmament, proclaiming London a "nuclear-free zone". On 20 May 1981, the GLC halted its annual spending of £1 million on nuclear war defence plans, with Livingstone's deputy, Illtyd Harrington, proclaiming that "we are challenging... the absurd cosmetic approach to Armageddon." They published the names of the 3000 politicians and administrators who had been earmarked for survival in underground bunkers in the event of a nuclear strike on London. Thatcher's government remained highly critical of these moves, putting out a propaganda campaign explaining their argument for the necessity of Britain'snuclear deterrent to counter theSoviet Union.[95]
"Arguing that politics had long been the near-exclusive preserve of white middle-aged men, the GLC began an attempt to open itself to representations from other groups, principally from women, the working-class, ethnic minorities and homosexuals but also from children and the elderly. This was a real break from traditional politics as practised centrally by both major parties... and it attracted hostility from all sides."
Livingstone's administration advocated measures to improve the lives of minorities within London, who together made up a sizeable percentage of the city's population; whatReg Race called "the Rainbow Coalition".[97] The GLC allocated a small percentage of its expenditure on funding minority community groups, including the London Gay Teenage Group,English Collective of Prostitutes, Women Against Rape, Lesbian Line, A Woman's Place, and Rights of Women.[97] Believing these groups could initiate social change, the GLC increased its annual funding of voluntary organisations from £6 million in 1980 to £50 million in 1984.[98] They provided loans to such groups, coming under a barrage of press criticism for awarding a loan to theSheba Feminist Publishers, whose works were widely labelled pornographic.[99] In July 1981, Livingstone founded the Ethnic Minorities Committee, the Police Committee, and the Gay and Lesbian Working Party, and in June 1982, a Women's Committee was also established.[98] Believing theMetropolitan Police to be a racist organisation, he appointedPaul Boateng to head the Police Committee and monitor the force's activities.[100] Considering the police a highly political organisation, he publicly remarked that "When you canvas police flats at election time, you find that they are either Conservatives who think of Thatcher as a bit of a pinko or they areNational Front."[100]
The Conservatives and mainstream press were largely critical of these measures, considering them symptomatic of what they termed the "loony left". Claiming that these only served "fringe" interests, their criticisms often exhibitedracist,homophobic andsexist sentiment.[101] A number of journalists fabricated stories designed to discredit Livingstone and the "loony left", for instance claiming that the GLC made its workers drink only Nicaraguan coffee in solidarity withthe country's socialist government, and thatHaringey Council leaderBernie Grant had banned the use of the term "black bin liner" and the rhyme "Baa Baa Black Sheep", because they were perceived as racially insensitive.[102] Writing in 2008, BBC reporter Andrew Hosken noted that although most of Livingstone's GLC administration's policies were ultimately a failure, its role in helping change social attitudes towards women and minorities in London remained its "enduring legacy".[103]
Invited to theWedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer atSt Paul's Cathedral in July 1981, Livingstone – arepublican critical of the monarchy – wished the couple well but turned down the offer. He also permittedIrish republican protesters to hold a vigil on the steps of County Hall throughout the wedding celebrations, both actions that brought strong press criticism.[104] His administration supported the People's March for Jobs, a demonstration of 500 anti-unemployment protesters who marched to London from Northern England, allowing them to sleep in County Hall and catering for them. Costing £19,000, critics argued that Livingstone was illegally using public money for his own political causes.[105] The GLC orchestrated a propaganda campaign against Thatcher's government, in January 1982 erecting a sign on the top of County Hall – clearly visible from theHouses of Parliament – stating the number of unemployed in London.[106]
In September 1981, a weekly newspaper, theLabour Herald, was announced with Livingstone,Ted Knight and Matthew Warburton as co-editors.[107] It was published by a press owned by the TrotskyistWorkers Revolutionary Party (WRP), who had financed it with funding from Libya and other countries in the middle east.[108] Evidence is lacking to indicate Livingstone knew about the funding at the time.[109][110] Livingstone's commercial relationship with WRP leaderGerry Healy was controversial among British socialists, many of whom disapproved of Healy's reputation for violence.[111] In the newspaper in 1982, perceiving a neglect by Labour of the Israel-Palestine conflict, Livingstone wrote of "a distortion running right the way through British politics" because "a majority of Jews in this country supported the Labour Party and elected a number of Jewish Labour MPs".[112] TheLabour Herald folded in 1985, after Healy was accused of being a sex offender and he was expelled from the WRP.[113]
"This morning theSun presents the most odious man in Britain. Take a bow, Mr Livingstone, socialist leader of the Greater London Council. In just a few months since he appeared on the national scene, he has quickly become a joke. But no one can laugh at him any more. The joke has turned sour, sick and obscene. For Mr Livingstone steps forward as the defender and the apologist of the criminal, murderous activities of the IRA."
A supporter ofIrish reunification, Livingstone had connections with the left-wing Irish republican partySinn Féin and in July, met with the mother of an imprisonedProvisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) militantThomas McElwee, then taking part in the1981 Irish hunger strike. That day, Livingstone publicly proclaimed his support for those prisoners on hunger strike, claiming that the British government's fight against the IRA was not "some sort of campaign againstterrorism" but was "the last colonial war". He was criticised for this meeting and his statements in the mainstream press, while Prime Minister Thatcher claimed that his comments constituted "the most disgraceful statement I have ever heard."[115] Soon after, he also met with the children of Yvonne Dunlop, an Irish Protestant who had been killed in McElwee's bomb attack.[116]
On 10 October, the IRA bombed London'sChelsea Barracks, killing 2 and injuring 40. Denouncing the attack, Livingstone informed members of theCambridge UniversityTory Reform Group that it was a misunderstanding to view the IRA as "criminals or lunatics" because of their political motives and that "violence will recur again and again as long as we are in Ireland." Mainstream press criticised him for these comments, withThe Sun labeling him "the most odious man in Britain". In response, Livingstone proclaimed that the press coverage had been "ill-founded, utterly out of context and distorted", reiterating his opposition both to IRA attacks and British rule in Northern Ireland.[117] Anti-Livingstone pressure mounted and on 15 October he was attacked in the street by members of unionist militia, The Friends of Ulster. In a second incident, Livingstone was attacked byfar right skinheads shouting "commie bastard" at the Three Horseshoes Pub in Hampstead.[118] Known as "Green Ken" amongUlster Unionists, Unionist paramilitaryMichael Stone of theUlster Defence Association plotted to kill Livingstone, only abandoning the plan when he became convinced that the security services were monitoring him.[119][120][121]
Livingstone agreed to meetGerry Adams, Sinn Féin President and IRA-supporter, after Adams was invited to London by Labour members of the Troops Out campaign in December 1982. The same day as the invitation was made, theIrish National Liberation Army (INLA)bombed The Droppin Well bar inBallykelly, County Londonderry, killing 11 soldiers and six civilians; in the aftermath, Livingstone was pressured to cancel the meeting. Expressing his horror at the bombing, Livingstone insisted that the meeting proceed, for Adams had no connection with the INLA, but Conservative Home SecretaryWillie Whitelaw banned Adams' entry to Britain with the1976 Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act.[122] In February 1983, Livingstone visited Adams in his constituency ofWest Belfast, receiving a hero's welcome from local republicans.[123] In July 1983, Adams finally came to London by invitation of Livingstone and MPJeremy Corbyn, allowing him to present his views to a mainstream British audience through televised interviews.[124] In August, Livingstone was interviewed on Irish state radio, proclaiming that Britain's 800-year occupation of Ireland was more destructive than theHolocaust; he was publicly criticised by Labour members and the press.[124] He also controversially expressed solidarity with theMarxist–Leninist government ofFidel Castro in Cuba against theU.S. economic embargo, in return receiving an annual Christmas gift of Cuban rum from the Cuban embassy.[125]
Courting further controversy, in theFalklands War of 1982, during which the United Kingdom battled Argentina for control of theFalkland Islands, Livingstone stated his belief that the islands rightfully belonged to the Argentinian people, but not the military junta then ruling the country.[126] Upon British victory, he sarcastically remarked that "Britain had finally been able to beat the hell out of a country smaller, weaker and even worse governed than we were."[127] Challenging the Conservative government's militarism, the GLC proclaimed 1983 to be "Peace Year", solidifying ties with theCampaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in order to advocate internationalnuclear disarmament, a measure opposed by the Thatcher government.[128] In keeping with this pacifistic outlook, they banned theTerritorial Army from marching past County Hall that year.[129] The GLC then proclaimed 1984 to be "Anti-Racism Year".[130] In July 1985, the GLC twinned London with the Nicaraguan city ofManagua, then under the control of the socialistSandinista National Liberation Front.[131] The press continued to criticise the Livingstone administration's funding of volunteer groups that they perceived represented only "fringe interests". As Livingstone biographer Andrew Hosken remarked, "by far the most contentious grant" was given in February 1983 to a group called Babies Against the Bomb, founded by a group of mothers who had united to campaign against nuclear weapons.[132]
Members of London Labour groups chastised Livingstone for his controversial statements, believing them detrimental to the party, leading Labour members and supporters to defect to theSocial Democratic Party (SDP).[133] Many highlighted Labour's failure to secure the seat in the1981 Croydon North West by-election as a sign of Labour's prospects under Livingstone.[134] Some called for Livingstone's removal, but Michael Foot's assistant Una Cooze defended Livingstone's position.[135] Television and radio outlets invited Livingstone for interviews; described by biographer John Carvel as having "one of the best television styles of any contemporary politician", Livingstone used this medium to speak to a wider audience, gaining widespread public support, something Carvel attributed to his "directness, self-deprecation, colourful language, complete unflappability under fire and lack of pomposity", coupled with popular policies like Fares Fair.[136]
"Whatever the long-term achievements of Livingstone's administration, there is no question that its aggression towards the government and the Establishment ultimately spelled doom for the GLC. In the eyes of the government and the media, Livingstone started badly and got worse. Within eight months, he was in deep crisis and within two years, Margaret Thatcher had started the wheels in motion for abolition. Such was the backlash by judges, civil servants, politicians and journalists that Livingstone failed not only in the key objective of bringing down Thatcher but also in implementing many of his policies. It would lay Livingstone open to the allegation that he had laid the GLC at the sacrificial altar of his ambition."
The1983 general election proved disastrous for Labour, as much of their support went to the Social Democrat-Liberal Alliance, and Thatcher entered her second term in office. Foot was replaced byNeil Kinnock, a man Livingstone considered "repellent".[138] Livingstone publicly attributed Labour's electoral failure to the leading role that the party's capitalist wing had played, arguing that the party should promote a socialist program of "national reconstruction", overseeing the nationalisation of banks and major industry and allowing for the investment in new development.[139]
Considering it a waste of rate payer's money, Thatcher's government was keen to abolish the GLC anddevolve control to the Greater Londonboroughs, stating its intention to do so in its 1983 electoral manifesto.[140]Secretary of State for EmploymentNorman Tebbit lambasted the GLC as "Labour-dominated, high-spending and at odds with the government's view of the world"; Livingstone commented that there was "a huge gulf between the cultural values of the GLC Labour group and everything that Mrs Thatcher considered right and proper."[141] The government felt confident that there was sufficient opposition to Livingstone's administration that they could abolish the GLC: according to aMORI poll in April 1983, 58% of Londoners were dissatisfied and 26% satisfied with Livingstone.[142]
Attempting to fight the proposals, the GLC devoted £11 million to a campaign led byReg Race focusing on press campaigning, advertising, and parliamentary lobbying. The campaign sent Livingstone on a party roadshow conference in which he convinced the Liberal and Social Democratic parties to oppose abolition. Using the slogan "say no to no say", they publicly highlighted that without the GLC, London would be the only capital city in Western Europe without a directly elected body.[143] The campaign was successful, with polls indicating majority support among Londoners for retaining the Council, and in March 1984, 20,000 public servants held a 24-hour strike in support.[144] The government nevertheless remained committed to abolition, and in June 1984 the House of Commons passed theLocal Government Act 1985 with 237 votes in favour and 217 against.[145] Livingstone and three senior GLC members resigned their seats in August 1984, to force byelections on the issue of abolition, but the Conservatives declined to contest them and all four were comfortably re-elected on a low turnout.[146]
The GLC was formally abolished at midnight on 31 March 1986, with Livingstone marking the occasion by holding a free concert atFestival Hall.[147] In his capacity as former leader of the GLC, Livingstone was invited to visit Australia, Israel, and Zimbabwe in the following months by leftist groups in those countries, before he and Allen undertook a 5-week Himalayan trek to the base camp ofMount Everest.[148]
Livingstone defeatedReg Freeson in the selection process to represent Labour for the north-west London constituency ofBrent East in the1987 general election.[149] When the election came, he narrowly defeated Conservative candidateHarriet Crawley to become Brent East's MP, while Thatcher retained the Premiership for a third term.[150] Livingstone found the atmosphere of theHouses of Parliament uncomfortable, labeling it "absolutely tribal",[151] and asserting that "It's like working in theNatural History Museum, except not all the exhibits are stuffed."[152] There was much hostility between him and the Parliamentary Labour Party, who allocated him a windowless office with fellow leftist MPHarry Barnes.[153] He took on Maureen Charleson as his personal secretary, who would remain with him for the next 20 years.[154]
In hismaiden speech to Parliament in July 1987, Livingstone usedparliamentary privilege to raise a number of allegations made byFred Holroyd, a formerSpecial Intelligence Service operative inNorthern Ireland. Despite the convention of maiden speeches being non-controversial, Livingstone alleged that Holroyd had been mistreated when he tried to exposeMI5collusion withUlster loyalist paramilitaries in the 1970s. Thatcher denounced his claims as "utterly contemptible".[155] In September 1987 Livingstone was elected to Labour'sNational Executive Committee (NEC), although he was voted off in October 1989, to be replaced byJohn Prescott.[156] As Kinnock tried to pull Labour to the centre, Livingstone worked to strengthen its socialist elements.[157] He refused to pay the controversialpoll tax until it was revoked, and was one of the 55 Labour MPs to oppose British involvement in theGulf War in January 1991.[158] Conversely, he supported NATO intervention in the Balkans, and thebombing of Serbia.[159]
In the1992 general election,John Major led the Conservatives to a narrow victory, resulting in Kinnock's resignation as Labour leader. TheSocialist Campaign Group put Livingstone's name forward to succeed Kinnock, withBernie Grant as his deputy, but they were not elected, withJohn Smith andMargaret Beckett taking the positions.[160][161] After Smith died in May 1994, Livingstone endorsed Beckett to succeed him.[162][163] However,Tony Blair was selected, with Livingstone predicting that he would be "the most right-wing leader" in Labour history.[164] Blair and his supporters sought to further expunge leftist elements and taking it to the centre, thus creating "New Labour", withPeter Mandelson asserting that figures like Livingstone represented "the enemy" of reform.[165] Throughout 1995, Livingstone unsuccessfully fought Blair's attempts to removeClause Four (promoting nationalised industry) from the Labour constitution, which he saw as a betrayal of the party's socialist roots.[166] In 1996, he warned of the growing influence ofspin doctors in the party, and called for Blair to sackAlastair Campbell after a High Court judge criticised Campbell in a libel trial.[167] Nevertheless, Blair led Labour to alandslide victory in the1997 general election, resulting in the formation of the first Labour government since 1979.[168] In December 1997, Livingstone joined a Labour revolt against Blair's attempts to cut benefits tosingle mothers and, in March 1998, publicly criticisedGordon Brown for advocating "an awful lot of Thatcherite nonsense" and attempting to privatise the London Underground through thePPP scheme.[169] In 1997 he was re-elected to the NEC, beating Mandelson to the position.[170]
"I want power. I want to change Britain and I'm not ashamed to say it. Anyone who wants to achieve change would grab at the leadership."
Livingstone continued his association with members of Trotskyist groupSocialist Action, with the group's leaderJohn Ross becoming his most important adviser, teaching him about economics.[172] Investing in an advanced £25,000 computer, he and Ross used the machine to undertake economic analysis, on the basis of which they began publishing theSocialist Economic Bulletin in 1990.[173] Two other members of the group,Redmond O'Neill and Simon Fletcher, also became trusted advisers.[174] When Socialist Action founded a campaign group, theAnti-Racist Alliance, Livingstone came to be closely associated with it. They campaigned on the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence and the rise of the far right British National Party, but were disadvantaged by an ongoing rivalry with theAnti-Nazi League.[175]
As his political significance waned, Livingstone gained more work in the media, commenting that the press "started to use me only once they thought I was harmless".[176] To receive these outside earnings, he founded a company known as Localaction Ltd.[177] In 1987 he authored an autobiography forHarperCollins,If Voting Changed Anything They'd Abolish It,[178] wrote articles for theLondon Daily News,[179] stood in forBBC Radio 2 disk-jockeyJimmy Young, and served as a judge for that year'sWhitbread Prize.[180] In 1989,Unwin Hyman published his second book,Livingstone's Labour: A Programme for the 90s, in which he expressed his views on a variety of issues,[181] while that same year he was employed to promoteRed Leicester cheese in adverts for theNational Dairy Council and to appear in adverts forBritish Coal alongsideEdwina Currie.[182] In October 1991 Livingstone began writing a column forRupert Murdoch's right-wing tabloidThe Sun, a controversial move among British socialists.[183] In his column, he often discussed his love of amphibians and campaigned for the protection of thegreat crested newt, on the basis of which he was appointed vice president of theLondon Zoological Society in 1996–97.[184] He subsequently wrote a food column forEsquire and then theEvening Standard, also making regular appearances on the BBC quiz showHave I Got News For You?.[185] In 1995, Livingstone was invited to appear on the track "Ernold Same" by the bandBlur.[185]
By 1996, various prominent public figures were arguing for the implementation of directly elected mayors for large UK cities like London.[186] The idea of a London mayor of aGreater London Authority (GLA) had been included in Labour's 1997 election manifesto, and after their election a referendum was scheduled for May 1998, in which there was a 72% yes vote with a 34% turnout.[187] With the first mayoral election scheduled for May 2000, in March 1998 Livingstone stated his intention to stand as a potential Labour candidate for the position.[188]
Blair did not want Livingstone as London mayor, claiming that he was one of those who "almost knocked [the party] over the edge of the cliff into extinction" during the 1980s.[189] He and the Labour spin doctors organised a campaign against Livingstone to ensure that he was not selected, with Campbell andSally Morgan unsuccessfully attempting to getOona King to denounce Livingstone.[190] They failed to convinceMo Mowlam to stand for the mayorship, and instead encouraged the reluctantFrank Dobson to stand.[191] Recognising that a 'one member, one vote' election within the London Labour Party would probably see Livingstone selected over Dobson, Blair ensured that a third of the votes would come from the rank-and-file members, a third from the trade unions, and a third from Labour MPs andMEPs, the latter two of which he could pressure into voting for his own preferred candidate, something that Dobson was deeply uncomfortable with.[192] Information on the Blairite campaign against Livingstone became public, costing Dobson much support; nevertheless, due to the impact of the MPs and MEPs, Dobson won the candidacy with 51% to Livingstone's 48%.[193]
Livingstone proclaimed Dobson to be "a tainted candidate" and stated his intention to run for the mayoralty as an independent candidate. Aware that this would result in his expulsion from Labour, he publicly stated that "I have been forced to choose between the party I love and upholding the democratic rights of Londoners."[194] The polls indicated clear support for Livingstone among the London electorate, with his campaign being run by his Socialist Action associates.[195] He gained the support of a wide range of celebrities, from musicians likeFatboy Slim,Pink Floyd,The Chemical Brothers, and Blur, artists likeDamien Hirst andTracey Emin, and those from other fields, among themKen Loach,Jo Brand, andChris Evans, the latter of whom donated £200,000 to the campaign; half of what Livingstone required.[196] In March 2000, Livingstone agreed to make a public apology to the House of Commons, after he was criticised over his failure to properly register outside interests worth more than £150,000.[197]The election took place on 4 May 2000,[198] at which Livingstone came first with 58% of first and second-preference votes; Conservative candidateSteven Norris came second and Dobson third.[199] Livingstone started his acceptance speech with "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted 14 years ago..."[200]
Livingstone now had "the largest and most direct mandate of any politician in British history",[201] receiving an annual salary of £87,000.[202] It was the mayor's job to oversee a number of subordinate bodies, including theMetropolitan Police,Transport for London (TfL), theLondon Development Agency, and theLondon Fire Brigade, and in doing so he was granted a number of executive powers.[203] He would be scrutinised by the electedLondon Assembly, whose first chairman wasTrevor Phillips, a Labour politician who had a reciprocated dislike of Livingstone.[204] Livingstone was permitted twelve principal advisers, many of whom were members of Socialist Action or people whom he had worked with on the GLC.[205] Ross and Fletcher became two of his closest confidants, with Livingstone commenting that "They aren't just my closest political advisers... they're also mostly my best friends."[206] In 2002, he promoted six of his senior aides, resulting in allegations ofcronyism from Assembly members.[207] The mayoral office was initially based in temporary headquarters at Romney House in Marsham Street,Westminster,[208] while a purpose-built building was constructed inSouthwark; termedCity Hall, it was officially opened by QueenElizabeth II in July 2002, with Livingstone commenting that it resembled a "glass testicle".[209]
Much of Livingstone's first two years were devoted to setting up the mayoral system and administration.[210] He also devoted much time to battling New Labour's plans to upgrade theLondon Underground system through apublic–private partnership (PPP) program, believing it to be too expensive and tantamount to the privatisation of a state-owned service. He furthermore had strong concerns about safety; PPP would divide parts of the Underground among various companies, something that he argued threatened a holistic safety and maintenance program. These concerns were shared by theNational Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and theAssociated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) trade union, who went on strike over the issue, being joined on thepicket line by Livingstone.[211] AppointingBob Kiley as transport commissioner — previously chief executive of theMBTA inGreater Boston and theMTA inGreater New York City — the duo argued that the upgrade should be carried out in state hands through a public bond issue, as had been done in the case of theNew York City Subway. They launched court cases against the government over PPP in 2001–02, but were ultimately unsuccessful, and the project went ahead, with the Underground being privatised in January 2003.[211]
Although he had initially stated that he would not do so,[212] Livingstone's administration sought to phase out use of the high-floorRoutemaster buses, the design for which dated to the 1950s.[213] Although iconic, they were deemed hazardous and responsible for a high number of deaths and serious injuries as passengers climbed onto them, also being non-wheelchair accessible and thus not meeting the requirements of theDisability Discrimination Act 1995.[214][215] Despite criticism from the public,[216] the last Routemaster was decommissioned in December 2005,[217][218] replaced by a new fleet of low-floor, double decker orarticulated buses.[217] Known colloquially as "bendy buses", the articulated buses fitted up to 140 passengers, 60 more than the Routemasters, however they were deemed dangerous for cyclists.[219] By early 2006, all London bus routes used low-floor buses, making the largest accessible bus fleet in the world.[220]
Attempting to reduce London's environmental impact, Livingstone created the London Hydrogen Partnership and the London Energy Partnership in his first term as mayor of London.[221] The mayor's energy strategy, "green light to clean power", committed London to reducing its emissions ofcarbon dioxide by 20%, relative to the 1990 level, by 2010.[221]
Livingstone sought to remove the pigeons fromTrafalgar Square; he tried to evict seed sellers and introduced hawks to scare the pigeons off.[222] He pedestrianised the north side of the square, transforming it into a public space with a cafe, public toilets, and a lift for the disabled.[223] He introduced an annualSaint Patrick's Day festival to celebrate the contributions of the Irish to London,[224] and revived London's freeanti-racism music festival, now calledRise: London United, later attributing London's 35% decrease in racist attacks to this and other anti-racist policies.[225] Continuing his support for LGBT rights, in 2001 he set up theLondon Partnership Register, Britain's first register for same-sex couples; while falling short of legal marriage rights, the register was seen as a step towards theCivil Partnership Act 2004.[226]
Livingstone's relationship with Kate Allen ended in November 2001, although they remained friends.[227] He then started a relationship with Emma Beal, together having two children, Thomas (born December 2002) and Mia (born March 2004).[228] At a May 2002 party inTufnell Park, Livingstone got into an argument with Beal's friend Robin Hedges, a reporter for theEvening Standard. Hedges subsequently fell from a wall, bruised his ribs and went to hospital; the press claimed that Livingstone had pushed him, although he insisted that he did not.Liberal Democrats on the London Assembly referred the matter to theStandards Board for England, who ruled that there was no evidence for any wrongdoing on Livingstone's behalf.[229]
As proposed in their election manifesto, in February 2003 Livingstone's administration introduced acongestion charge covering 8 square miles in central London, charging motorists £5 a day for driving through the area. It was introduced in an attempt to deter traffic and reduce congestion; Livingstone himself took the London Underground to work, and tried to inspire more Londoners to use public transport rather than cars. The policy was strongly opposed by businesses, resident groups, the roads lobby and the Labour government; many commentators recognised that, if opposition resulted in the policy being abandoned, it could lead to the end of Livingstone's political career.[230] That year, thePolitical Studies Association named Livingstone 'Politician of the Year' due to his implementation of the 'bold and imaginative' scheme.[231] The scheme resulted in a marked reduction on traffic in central London, resulting in improved bus services, and by 2007, TfL could claim that the charge had reduced congestion by 20%.[232][233] To further encourage the use of public transport, in June 2003, theOyster card system was introduced,[234] while bus and Underground journeys were made free for people aged 11 to 18.[235]
In 2002, Livingstone came out in support of a proposal for the 2012 Olympic Games to be held in London. He insisted however that the games must be held in the East End, and result in anurban regeneration program centred on theLea Valley. He gained the support of Labour's culture secretaryTessa Jowell, who convinced the government to back the plans in May 2003.[236] In May 2004, theInternational Olympic Commission put London on the shortlist of potential locations for the games, alongside Paris, Madrid, Moscow, and New York City; although Paris was widely expected to be the eventual victor, London would prove successful in its nomination.[237] Another major development project was launched in February 2004 as the London Plan, in which Livingstone's administration laid out their intentions to deal with the city's major housing shortage by ensuring the construction of 30,000 new homes a year. It stressed that 50% of these should be deemed "affordable housing" although later critics would highlight that in actuality, the amount of "affordable housing" in these new constructions did not exceed 30%.[238]
Livingstone had no control over government policy regarding immigration, which had resulted in a significant growth in foreign arrivals coming to London during his administration; from 2000 to 2005 London's population grew by 200,000 to reach 7.5 million.[239] He did not oppose this, encouraging racial equality and celebrating the city'smulticulturalism.[240] Livingstone condemned the UK's involvement in theIraq War and involved himself in theStop the War campaign.[241] In November 2003, he made headlines for referring to US PresidentGeorge W. Bush as "the greatest threat to life on this planet", just before Bush's official visit to the UK. Livingstone also organised an alternative "Peace Reception" at City Hall "for everybody who is not George Bush", with anti-warVietnamveteranRon Kovic as the guest of honour.[242]
Livingstone's success with the congestion charge and rejuvenation of Trafalgar Square led the Labour leadership to reconsider their position on him, with Blair re-admitting him to the party and asking that he stand as their mayoral candidate for the 2004 election. Livingstone accepted, and Labour mayoral candidateNicky Gavron volunteered to take a subordinate position as his deputy.[243] In campaigning for the election, Livingstone highlighted his record: the congestion charge, free bus travel for under 11s, 1000 extra buses, and 5000 extra police officers, whereas his main competitor, the Conservative Steven Norris, campaigned primarily on a policy of abolishing the congestion charge.[244] Livingstone continued to court controversy throughout the campaign; in June 2004 he was quoted onThe Guardian's website as saying: "I just long for the day I wake up and find that theSaudi royal family are swinging from lamp-posts and they've got a proper government that represents the people ofSaudi Arabia", for which he was widely criticised.[245][246][247] That same month, he came under criticism from sectors of the left for urging RMT members to cross picket lines in a proposed Underground strike because the latest offer had been "extremely generous", leading RMT general secretaryBob Crow to step down as a TfL board member.[245] In the2004 London mayoral election, Livingstone was announced as the winner on 10 June 2004. He won 36% of first preference votes to Norris's 28% and Liberal DemocratSimon Hughes's 15%. When all the candidates except Livingstone and Norris were eliminated and the second preferences of those voters who had picked neither Livingstone nor Norris as their first choice were counted, Livingstone won with 55% to Norris's 45%.[248][249]
Amidst thewar on terror and threat fromAl Qaeda, Livingstone sought to improve ties with London's Muslim community, agreeing to meet withIslamist groups like theMuslim Association of Britain alongside moderate organisations.[250] In July 2004, he attended a conference discussingFrance's ban on the burka at which he talked alongside Islamist clericYusuf al-Qaradawi. Livingstone described al-Qaradawi as "one of the most authoritative Muslim scholars in the world today" and argued that his influence could help stop the radicalisation of young British Muslims. Jewish and LGBT organisations criticised Livingstone for this, citing al-Qaradawi's record of antisemitic and homophobic remarks, with the meeting leading to an argument between Livingstone and former supporterPeter Tatchell.[251] Livingstone continued to champion the Palestinian cause in the Israel-Palestine conflict, in March 2005 accusing Israeli prime ministerAriel Sharon of being a "war criminal" responsible for the 1982Sabra and Shatila massacre.[252]
During his second term, Livingstone continued his support for London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, playing a crucial role in securing vital Russian support for the bid. On 6 July 2005, in a ceremony held in Singapore attended by Livingstone, London was announced as the victor, resulting in widespread celebration.[253] The following day, British-born Islamist suicide bombers undertookthree attacks on the Underground and another on a bus, killing 52 civilians. Livingstone gave a speech from Singapore denouncing the attackers as terrorists, before immediately returning to London.[254] Informing theBBC that Western foreign policy was largely to blame for the attacks,[255] his response to the situation was widely praised, even by opponents.[256] Fearing anIslamophobic backlash against the city's Muslim minority, he initiated an advertising campaign to counter this, holding a rally for inter-community unity in Trafalgar Square.[257] Asecond, failed suicide bombing attack took place on 21 July,[258] and in the aftermath police officers shot dead a Brazilian tourist,Jean Charles de Menezes, whom they mistook for a bomber. Police initially misrepresented the killing, resulting in widespread condemnation, although Livingstone defended the actions of Metropolitan Police commissionerIan Blair.[259]
While leaving a City Hall LGBT reception in February 2005, Livingstone objected to anEvening Standard photographer "harassing" other guests. WhenEvening Standard journalist Oliver Finegold introduced himself as working for the paper, Livingstone asked if he had been "a German war criminal". When Finegold said that he was Jewish, Livingstone said he was "just like a concentration camp guard, you are just doing it because you are paid to, aren't you?" and asserted that he (Finegold) worked for the "reactionary bigots... who supported fascism" at theDaily Mail.[260][261] Although theEvening Standard initially did not deem the comments newsworthy, they were leaked toThe Guardian, resulting in accusations of antisemitism against Livingstone from theBoard of Deputies of British Jews.[262] There were many calls for Livingstone to apologise, including from Tony Blair, the London Assembly, a Holocaust survivors group and his deputy Gavron (the daughter of a Holocaust survivor), but Livingstone refused, citing what he said was a hate campaign of almost a quarter of a century against him by newspapers, particularly Associated Newspapers, publisher of theEvening Standard and theDaily Mail, and their long record of bigotry and racism.[263] TheStandards Board for England asked theAdjudication Panel for England to deal with Livingstone on the issue, who in February 2006 found him guilty of bringing his office into disrepute and suspended him from office for a month. Livingstone and others argued that an unelected board should not have the power to suspend an elected official.[264][265] In October 2006 at theHigh Court of Justice, justiceAndrew Collins overturned the decision to suspend Livingstone.[266][267]
Livingstone denied he was antisemitic, holding regular meetings with Jewish groups and introducing publicHanukkah celebrations in Trafalgar Square in December 2005.[268][269][270] He was again described as antisemitic in March 2006 for asserting, after conflict over a major building project, that Indian-born Jewish businessmenDavid and Simon Reuben should "go back to Iran and see if they can do better under the ayatollahs". He said later that he did not know they were Jewish.[271][272] He refused to apologise to the Reubens at the time, instead offering "a complete apology to the people of Iran for the suggestion that they may be linked in any way to the Reuben brothers".[273] The GLA rejected the accusation of misconduct against Livingstone over the incident in June 2006,[271] but he did make a general apology for causing offence to Jews in previous years in December that year.[272]
In March 2006, Livingstone criticised foreign embassies who refused to pay the congestion charge under the conditions of the 1961Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. His criticism focused on US diplomatRobert Tuttle, condemning him as a "chiselling little crook" whose embassy was refusing to pay the £1.5 million he believed it owed.[125] In February 2007, Livingstone's administration doubled the congestion charge zone by extending it westwards intoKensington and Chelsea, despite opposition from resident groups.[274] In October 2007, the government agreed to go ahead withCrossrail, a £16 billion project to construct a train line under central London, linkingBerkshire toEssex.[275] Meanwhile, Livingstone felt vindicated in his former opposition to public private partnership when one of the companies who now controlled part of the Underground,Metronet, collapsed in July 2007, with the state having to intervene to protect the service.[276] Livingstone had also welcomed the construction of skyscrapers in London, giving the go ahead for 15 to be constructed during his mayoralty, including30 St Mary Axe andThe Shard. He considered this necessary to fill the demand for office space, but was criticised, most notably byCharles, Prince of Wales, concerned about the preservation of historic skylines.[277]
In May 2006, Livingstone welcomed Venezuelan presidentHugo Chávez to London, hosting an event for him at City Hall. Conservatives objected and said that Chávez'sdemocratic socialist government had undermined pluralistic democracy.[278] Livingstone proceeded to accept the presidency of the pro-Chávez Venezuelan Information Centre.[279] In November 2006, Livingstone travelled to Latin America to visit Chávez, during which he and his entourage stayed in Cuba at a cost of £29,000; many British sources described the visit as a waste of tax-payer's money.[280] In August 2007, it was announced that Livingstone had come to an agreement with oil-rich Venezuela; Chávez's government would supply £16 million a year worth of free oil to TfL, who would use it to subsidise half priced bus fares for 250,000 Londoners on benefits. In return, London would provide expertise in running transport, as well as other services such as CCTV and waste management.[281][282]
Livingstone helped organise the first "Eid in the Square" event at Trafalgar Square in commemoration of the IslamicEid ul-Fitr festival in October 2006.[283] In May 2007, Livingstone travelled to New York City to attend theC40 conference of major world cities to deal with environmentalist issues. One of the leading figures of the conference, he called for other cities to adopt congestion charging as an environmental measure.[284] In August 2007, he issued a public apology on behalf of London for its role in the transatlantic slave trade. He selected the anniversary of theHaitian Revolution on which to do it, and in his tearful speech asserted that it was the resistance of enslaved persons rather than the philanthropy of wealthy whites that led to the trade's end.[285]
A week later he attended the unveiling of thestatue of Nelson Mandela inParliament Square, where he met withNelson Mandela.[286] In June 2007, he criticised the planned £200 millionThames Water Desalination Plant atBeckton, which would be the United Kingdom's first, calling it "misguided and a retrograde step in UK environmental policy", and that "we should be encouraging people to use less water, not more."[287] In October 2007,London Councils stated Livingstone had gone back on his promise to chair the developing London Waste and Recycling Board, and to provide £6 million of funding for the project, because "the government had failed to provide him with absolute control of the Board."[288]
Livingstone intended to stand again as Labour candidate in the2008 London mayoral election, this time against Conservative candidateBoris Johnson.[289] At the start of the campaign Livingstone took Johnson more seriously than many others were doing, referring to him as "the most formidable opponent I will face in my political career."[290] Much of Labour's campaign revolved around criticising Johnson for past perceived racist and homophobic comments, although Johnson denied that he was bigoted.[291] Livingstone also proposed that, if he were to win a third term, he would increase the congestion charge fee to £25 for the most polluting vehicles, while removing it for the least, and would also introduce a cycling scheme based on theVélib' system in Paris.[292] As part of his campaign, Livingstone highlighted that, by 2008, the Metropolitan Police had 35,000 officers, 10,000 more than it had had in 2000, highlighting falling crime rates during his mayorship.[293] Nevertheless, there had been a recent rise in gang killing, with 27 teenagers having been killed during 2007, which was used by Johnson's campaign who emphasised that a Johnson administration would be tougher on youth crime and anti-social behaviour.[294]
In December 2007 whenEvening Standard journalistAndrew Gilligan alleged that one of Livingstone's close advisers,Lee Jasper, had used at least £2.5 million from the London Development Agency to fund black community groups associated with him. Livingstone stood by Jasper and claimed that theEvening Standard campaign was racist, but ultimately agreed to suspend Jasper while a full investigation took place.[295] An independent report into the affair by district auditor Michael Haworth-Maden in July 2009 found no evidence of "misappropriation of funds" but noted "significant" gaps in financial paperwork.[296] The election took place in May 2008, and witnessed a turnout of approximately 45% of eligible voters, with Johnson receiving 43.2% and Livingstone 37% of first-preference votes; when second-preference votes were added, Johnson proved victorious with 53.2% to Livingstone's 46.8%.[297]
"Obviously everyone respects the decision of the electorate. But it is already clear that Boris Johnson's Tory regime is one of decline [in] London: economic decline, social decline, cultural decline and environmental decline. This is the real root of the incompetence [his administration] has shown in its first two months in office. I believe this will become increasingly obvious and therefore I will use the normal methods of democratic debate to convince electors that the previous policies were successful and the new ones will fail."
Newly elected, mayor Boris Johnson paid tribute to Livingstone and his "very considerable achievements", hoping that the new administration could "discover a way in which the mayoralty can continue to benefit from your transparent love of London".[299] Johnson's administration nevertheless reversed a number of Livingstone's policies, for instance overturning the deal for Venezuelan oil.[300][301][302][303] Intent on giving Venezuela the "advice that we promised",[300][303] Livingstone announced in August 2008 that he would be advising urban planning inCaracas.[300][301][302][303] Livingstone predicted that in twenty years it could become a "first-world city",[303] and hoped to help with his "very extensive network of contacts both domestically and internationally".[302]
In January 2009, Livingstone responded to theGaza War by calling for theEuropean Union and the UK to recall their ambassadors to Israel.[304][305] From September 2009 to March 2011, he presented the book review programmeEpilogue for the Iranian state-sponsored international news channelPress TV, for which he came under criticism from Iranian exile groups.[306][307] In July 2010, he spoke at theDurham Miners' Gala,[308] using the speech to attack spending cuts byDavid Cameron'scoalition government, claiming they were not necessary.[309] He again criticised the cuts in September, claiming that they were "beyond Margaret Thatcher's wildest dreams" and threatened to cause widespread division and poverty across London.[310] In May 2011, Livingstone said he was "appalled" thatAl-Qaeda leaderOsama bin Laden had been killed by US Special forces "in his pyjamas" and "in front of his kid," and that the values of a western democracy would have been best demonstrated if bin Laden had been put on trial.[311]
Livingstone stood as Labour's candidate for the2012 London mayoral election, again challenging Johnson. His campaign attracted criticism when he joked that the election was "a simple choice between good and evil".[312] It again caused controversy when Livingstone was accused of antisemitism by Jewish Labour supporters after suggesting that, being largely wealthy, London's Jewish community would not vote for him. He denied making the comments, but nevertheless apologised. He also responded, "everypsephological study I've seen in the 40 years I've been following politics shows the main factor that determines how people vote is their income level. And it's not anti-Semitic to say that."[313][314][315]
Johnson's campaign emphasised the accusation that Livingstone was guilty oftax evasion, for which Livingstone called Johnson a "bare-faced liar".[316] The political scientist Andrew Crines believed that Livingstone's campaign suffered from its focus on attacking Johnson rather than presenting an alternative, progressive vision of London's future.[317] Crines also suggested that after decades in the public eye, Livingstone had come to be seen as an over-familiar and politically tired figure by the electorate.[318] In the election, Johnson won with 1,054,811 votes, to Livingstone's 992,273. Criticising media bias against him, Livingstone announced his retirement from politics.[319][320] Remaining a critic of Johnson, in April 2014 he stated his belief that the latter would soon become leader of the Conservative Party and advised Labour "not to make the mistake of assuming they're dealing with a hardline right-wing ideologue", but to "concentrate on the fact they're dealing with a fairly lazy tosser who just wants to be there".[321]
In May 2015, Livingstone endorsedSadiq Khan to be the Labour candidate for the2016 London mayoral election,[322] and, in July, endorsedJeremy Corbyn in the2015 Labour Party leadership election.[323] After Corbyn was elected Labour leader, Livingstone was one of his most prominent allies; in November 2015, Corbyn appointed Livingstone to co-convene Labour's defence review alongsideMaria Eagle.[324] Shadow defence ministerKevan Jones expressed the view that Livingstone knew little about defence and that it would damage the party's reputation. Livingstone responded by claiming that Jones – who has spoken about his ownclinical depression – needed "psychiatric help". Jones took offence, and while Livingstone initially refused to apologise, he subsequently did so at Corbyn's urging.[325]
Livingstone faced further criticism following a television appearance in which he stated that the perpetrators of the 2005 London bombings carried out their actions as retribution for UK involvement in the Iraq War.[326][327] In March 2016, Livingstone again courted controversy by comparing ahedge fund manager's £16,800 donation to Labour MPDan Jarvis[328] to "Jimmy Savile funding a children's group";[329] it subsequently emerged that Livingstone himself had received £8,000 from a Bermuda-based hedge fund called Meditor for a speaking engagement, leading to accusations of hypocrisy. Livingstone responded that, rather than "double standards", it was "different standards", he was paid for a speaking engagement where he would have told the room of the need for the City to invest more in the economy, which he felt was distinct from taking a political donation from a hedge fund manager.[330]
Livingstone was suspended from Labour in April 2016 after being accused of "bringing the party into disrepute" following aBBC Radio London interview in which he stated "When Hitler won his election in 1932 his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel. He was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews".[331][332][333] Livingstone had been invited to discuss the suspension of Labour MPNaz Shah, after it became known Shah had shared a satirical map on Facebook suggesting that Israel should be relocated to the United States.[334] Livingstone described Shah's postings, which were made before she became an MP in2015, as "rude and over-the-top" but not antisemitic, adding that he had never encountered antisemitism in Labour.[332][335]
Livingstone defended his statement about Hitler and Zionism by reference toLenni Brenner'sZionism in the Age of the Dictators,[336] and many commentators suggested that Livingstone was referring to theHaavara Agreement betweenNazi Germany and theZionist Federation of Germany.[337][338][339][340] Livingstone's statements were criticised as inaccurate by historians likeTimothy D. Snyder,Roger Moorhouse, andAndrew Roberts,[341][342] although the political scientistNorman Finkelstein said that whilst "Livingstone maybe wasn't precise enough, and lacked nuance", his comments reflected Hitler's initial ambivalence towards Zionism.[343]
Over 20 Labour MPs called for Livingstone's suspension and newly elected Labour London mayorSadiq Khan called for his expulsion.[336]Jon Lansman, founder of the pro-CorbynMomentum group, called for Livingstone to leave politics altogether.[331] Labour MPJohn Mann publicly confronted Livingstone and accused him of being a "liar" and a "Nazi apologist".[344] In a subsequent interview, Livingstone expressed regret both for mentioning Hitler and for any Jews he offended but added that "I'm not going to apologise for telling the truth".[345][346] He stated that it was "absurd" to call him an antisemite because he had two Jewish girlfriends,[347] and that he may have maternal Jewish ancestry.[348][349] Livingstone said there was a "well-orchestrated campaign by theIsrael lobby to smear anybody who criticises Israeli policy as antisemitic".[350]
Corbyn announced that the decision whether to expel Livingstone would be made by aNational Executive Committee (NEC) internal inquiry; Livingstone insisted he would be exonerated, saying "how can the truth be an offence?"[351] In April 2017, Labour's National Constitutional Committee held that Livingstone had brought the party into disrepute, ordering his suspension be continued for another year.[352][353][354] Labour's deputy leaderTom Watson stated that it was "incomprehensible" that the NEC had not expelled Livingstone;[355] Corbyn said he was disappointed Livingstone did not "acknowledge or apologise for the hurt he has caused" and said a new NEC investigation would consider the comments he made after his initial suspension.[356][357] As the date for the end of his suspension approached,[358][359] in March 2018 the National Executive Committee extended Livingstone's suspension indefinitely, with outgoing general secretaryIain McNicol signing off on the decision shortly before standing down.[360]
Livingstone announced his resignation from Labour on 21 May 2018, saying the issues surrounding his suspension had become a distraction. His lawyers concluded that if he had been expelled, it would take at least two years to lodge an appeal. However, he maintained his support for a prospective Labour government under Corbyn.[361] According to LBC, Livingstone told the inquiry that, at times when he was overwhelmed by media interest, after Corbyn became leader, he asked members of Corbyn's staff how he should respond.[362] In April 2019,Labour Against the Witchhunt announced that he had become the group's honorary president.[363]
In October 2020, theEquality and Human Rights Commission published a report into Livingstone's comments regarding the Shah case, stating that he "denied that [Shah's] posts were antisemitic. He sought to minimise their offensive nature by stating that they were merely criticism of Israeli policy at a time of conflict with the Palestinians. He also alleged that scrutiny of Naz Shah's conduct was part of an apparent smear campaign by 'the Israel lobby' to stigmatise critics of Israel as antisemitic, as well as being aimed at undermining and disrupting the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn MP."[364] The EHRC found that these comments constituted unlawful harassment under theEquality Act 2010, and that Labour was legally responsible for the harassment because, as a member of NEC, he was an agent of the party. The Commission also found that his disciplinary case had been subject to interference from the leaders' office.[365]
In January 2022, Livingstone announced his intention of joining theGreen Party of England and Wales, although urged other socialists to remain within Labour and work towards "a Green-Labour coalition" government.[366] After being evaluated by one of the Greens' regional councils, his application for membership was rejected.[367]
In September 2023, Livingstone's family announced that he had retired from public life, following a diagnosis ofAlzheimer's disease.[368][369]
"Ken never had a very clear political philosophy. Ken never read philosophical books from a political point of view. He had a gut feeling; he was always opposed to exploitation and inequalities in a big way. He had a social conscience and wanted to do something about it. But he saw it within the existing parliamentary and political system. He didn't consider taking up arms against anybody as a way forward or dramatically changing the electoral system. He thought you could persuade and change the Labour Party."
Within the Labour Party, Livingstone was aligned with the left wing.[371] HistorianAlwyn W. Turner commented that Livingstone's entire approach to politics revolved not simply around providing public services but in trying to change society itself; in his words, he wanted to get away from the concept of "old white men coming along to general management committees and talking about rubbish collection."[372] Biographer John Carvel, a journalist fromThe Guardian, wrote that Livingstone's political motivation was a "fundamental desire ... for a more participative, cooperative society", leading him to oppose "concentrations of power and... exploitation in all its forms – economic, racial and sexual."[373] About his approach to fiscal policy, Livingstone has said: "I was a monetarist right from the beginning when I was leader of the GLC. We paid down debt every year. We had an absolutely firm rule."[374]
Livingstone describes himself as asocialist. In 1987, he stated that "politics is my religion. It's my moral framework. I believe a socialist society is inherently the best thing, and that's like an act of faith."[375] In 2007, he stated that "I still believe one day that the idea that the main means of production are owned by private individuals... will be considered as anti-democratic as the idea serfs could be tied to the land. But I will not be alive when that day comes."[376] Livingstone had always worked towards a unified socialist front on the British left, and disliked the tendency towards splintering and forming rival factions, usually over issues ofpolitical theory, among the socialist community.[377] Although rejectingMarxism, throughout his political career he has worked alongside Marxist far-left groups and has become involved with the "politics of the street".[378] He has not worked with those Marxist groups, such as theSocialist Workers Party and theRevolutionary Communist Party, who advocate the destruction of the Labour Party as the way forward for socialism, seeing their beliefs as incompatible with his own.[379] Livingstone has consistently opposed the actions of the Israeli government. In a 2005 interview, he said that he was not against the existence of Israel but ratherAriel Sharon's government; he recalled that on his 1986 visit to the country he got on well with its left-wing politicians.[380]
Livingstone has consistently rejected being defined under any particular ideological current of socialism.[381] Recognising this, the former Labour Party leaderNeil Kinnock said in 2000 that Livingstone could only be defined as aKennist.[370] Livingstone's understanding of politics arises from his studies of non-human animal behaviour andanthropology; rejecting the idea that the human species is naturally progressing (a view advocated by socialists like theFabian Society), Livingstone instead took the view that human society is still coming to terms with the massive socioeconomic changes that it experienced upon the development of agriculture during theNeolithic. Highlighting that ahunter-gatherer mode of subsistence is more natural to the human species, he believes that modern society has to adopt many hunter-gatherer values – namely cooperation and emphasis on human relationships rather than consumerism – in order to survive.[382]
Historian Alwyn W. Turner noted that Livingstone was a "gifted communicator and self-publicist" who was able to stump his opponents using his "mischievous sense of humour".[372] Biographer John Carvel echoed these comments, highlighting that Livingstone had a "talent for public speaking".[383] Biographer Andrew Hosken noted that many of those who had worked with Livingstone had commented on him being an excellent boss, who was "a good delegator, decisive and supportive" as well as being "a friendly and modest colleague".[384] Jenny McCartney, a reporter fromThe Spectator, expressed the view that "in person he is hard to dislike. There's a notable absence of pomposity in his manner, a propensity to laughter, and his love of an ideological scrap is allied to a calm, sometimes wry style of delivery: it looks fiercer on paper."[385] InThe Guardian, the journalist Hugh Muir described Livingstone as a man who is "happiest in the limelight, discomforted by the periphery" and who also "hates to apologise ... especially when called upon [to do so] ... by media or political opponents for whom he has no respect".[386]
On the issue of nationality, Livingstone has expressed the view that he identifies as English rather than British, although his father was Scottish and he supports the continued existence of the United Kingdom.[385] Although raised into a nominally Christian family, Livingstone renounced religious belief when he was eleven, becoming anatheist. In a 2005 interview he commented that in doing so he had rejected "mumbo-jumbo in favour of rational science."[11]
He is known for his enthusiasm for gardening and keeping and breedingnewts. He was the first person to breed the western dwarf clawed frogHymenochirus curtipes in captivity.[387][388] Livingstone is a big fan ofThe Godfather film franchise, stating that the actions of the criminal organisations within the movies are very much akin to the world of politics.[389]
Livingstone repeatedly attempted to keep his family life private, commenting that "I expect that my private life is not in the public domain and I'm rude to any journalist who turns up... at home".[390] It is known that he has five children.[391] Livingstone married Christine Pamela Chapman in 1973; the marriage ended in divorce in 1982. Around that time he became involved withKate Allen, who became director ofAmnesty International's UK Section; the couple separated in November 2001.[392] He then entered a relationship with his office manager, Emma Beal; they have a son (Thomas) and a daughter together.[393] Livingstone and Beal married on 26 September 2009 in the Mappin Pavilion ofLondon Zoo. They live inNorth London.[1]
Livingstone had also fathered three children prior to 2000; a boy by one mother and two girls by another.[393] The children were born to two women while Livingstone was involved with Kate Allen, according to an article byDecca Aitkenhead:[394]
In his memoir, he describes how one was an old friend who was keen to have children but feared she was running out of time. "We had never been involved romantically but I knew her well enough to know she would be a wonderful mother and so I said I would like to be the father of her children." A daughter was born in 1990, and another in 1992. Then another friend said she'd like to have children: "And we agreed to have a baby." Their son was born within weeks of his daughter in 1992.
Described inThe Guardian as "a polarising and controversial figure",[366] throughout his career, Livingstone has polarised public opinion.[395] He was widely recognised as a risk-taker.[293]Charles Moore characterized him as "the only truly successful left-wing British politician of modern times".[396] Supporters described him as the "People's Ken" and an "anti-politician politician", opining that he had the common touch with working-class Londoners that most British politicians lacked.[397] He was widely recognised for having improved the status of minority groups in London.[398] He was also deemed a "formidable operator" at City Hall, with an "intimate knowledge" of London.[399] He was also criticised during his career. During his Mayorship, he faced repeated accusations ofcronyism for favouring his chosen aides over other staff.[207] One of his supporters,Atma Singh, commented that under Livingstone's leadership, a culture of bullying pervaded at City Hall, although this was denied by many other staff there.[400]
During the 1980s,Spitting Image featured a fictionalised version of Livingstone voiced byHarry Enfield.[185] In 1990, BBC showThe Comic Strip produced an episode entitled "GLC: The Carnage Continues..." in whichRobbie Coltrane gave a fictionalised portrayal ofCharles Bronson playing Livingstone in a Hollywood movie.[185]Kate Bush wrote the song "Ken" for the episode, which was then released as a B-side to her single "Love and Anger".[401]
We should also retain the existing Routemaster fleet until a modern Routemaster can be designed.
One Londoner in ten found it impossible to climb onto a Routemaster. That didn't include people struggling with luggage or shopping or babies. I only understood the problem when I started taking Tom and Mia out in the buggy.
But there were a few dissenters who turned out Friday, including disability rights protesters who held placards saying: "Routemaster good riddance."
We have the biggest wheelchair accessible bus network in the world
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Leader of theGreater London Council 1981–1986 | Position abolished |
| New office | Mayor of London 2000–2008 | Succeeded by |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBrent East 1987–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of theLabour Party on theGreater London Council 1981–1986 | GLC abolished |