Red Ken looks ready to rejoin Labour
It has been rumoured that Ken Livingston will be welcomed back into the Labour Party before his formal ban is over.
Mr Livingstone was banned from the party over his decision to stand as an independent candidate for London Mayor after failing to win the Labour nomination.
His decision was backed by some that felt the electoral college system used to select Labour’s candidate was rigged against him.
Having won the election well ahead of the official Labour candidate, Frank Dobson, Mr Livingstone was formally banned from the party for five years. Since then he has continued to support Labour in local campaigns, and has indicated his desire to rejoin the party.
In the first two years of his mayoralty he fiercely opposed the introduction of a Public Private Partnership on the London Underground. The policy was favoured by the Treasury, and was believed to have fostered personal tensions between himself and certain members of the government.
However, the success of the London congestion charge may have won him some plaudits within the government, as ministers consider introducing road charging schemes for the rest of the country.
If he is returned to the party a deal would need to be struck ahead of next May’s London election. This could mean Mr Livingstone replacing the relatively obscure Nicky Gavron, who served as his deputy for much of his first term.
But despite the rumours that Tony Blair has indicated that Mr Livingstone should be readmitted, Nicky Gavron has reaffirmed her position as the official candidate.
