When did Ken Livingstone quit Labour, what has he said about Hitler and Zionism and who’s accused him of anti-Semitism?
Here's our lowdown on 'Red Ken' and his alleged slurs
KEN Livingstone has finally quit Labour two years after being suspended over anti-Semitism claims.
Here's our lowdown on 'Red Ken' and his alleged slurs...
What did Ken Livingstone say about Hitler and Zionism?
Ken Livingstone, claimed Nazi leader Adolf Hitler "supported Zionism" when he first came to power in 1930s Germany.
Speaking to BBC's Vanessa Feltz back in 2016, Livingstone said Hitler's support came "before he went mad and killed six million Jews".
At this time, Livingstone was defending then-newly elected Labour MP Naz Shah, after she re-posted a Facebook meme in 2014.
Ms Shah expressed regret for sharing the post which called for Israeli's to be relocated to the United States.
What did Ken Livingstone's resignation statement say?
Ken Livingstone's resignation statement in full:
After much consideration, I have decided to resign from the Labour Party.
The ongoing issues around my suspension from the Labour Party have become a distraction from the key political issue of our time – which is to replace a Tory government overseeing falling living standards and spiralling poverty, while starving our schools and the NHS of the vital resources they need.
We live in dangerous times and there are many issues I wish to speak up on and contribute my experience from running London to, from the need for real action to tackle climate change, to opposing Trump’s war-mongering, to the need to end austerity and invest in our future here in Britain.
I do not accept the allegation that I have brought the Labour Party into disrepute – nor that I am in any way guilty of anti-Semitism. I abhor antisemitism, I have fought it all my life and will continue to do so.
I also recognise that the way I made a historical argument has caused offence and upset in the Jewish community. I am truly sorry for that.
Under Labour’s new General Secretary I am sure there will be rapid action to expel anyone who genuinely has antisemitic views.
I am loyal to the Labour party and to Jeremy Corbyn. However any further disciplinary action against me may drag on for months or even years, distracting attention from Jeremy’s policies.
I am therefore, with great sadness, leaving the Labour Party.
We desperately need an end to Tory rule, and a Corbyn-led government to transform Britain and end austerity. I will continue to work to this end, and I thank all those who share this aim and who have supported me in my own political career.
But Livingstone insisted her comments were "over the top and offensive", but not anti-Semitic.
Who has accused Ken Livingstone of anti-Semitism?
Shadow Attorney General Shami Chakrabarti slammed Livingstone for likening Jews escaping Nazis with Nazis themselves.
Baroness Chakrabarti said his comments had brought shame to the Labour party and he should be thrown out of the party forever.
She also claimed he had “aggravated” the situation earlier this month by claiming that Zionists “collaborated” with Hitler.
Baroness Chakrabarti, former director of the civil rights group Liberty, said it was "incredibly disappointing" that the party had not implemented all the recommendations in her 2016 report.
Ken Livingstone reignites Hitler and Zionism claims again
The former mayor of London got into a spat with Good Morning Britain presenters Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid over his views on September 5, 2018.
Livingstone stated: "I said that in the 1930s Hitler supported Zionism.
“Not because he liked German Jews, but because he did a deal with the German Zionists.”
He added: “There’s a complete difference. He did a deal.”
Morgan hit back: “When you say Hitler supported Zionism, if I’m a British Jew listening to a senior Labour politician as you were at the time saying that.
"I’m going ‘hang on a second, what do you mean he supported Zionism’. He exterminated six million Jews."
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Has Ken Livingstone come under fire before?
In 2006 a High Court judge said Livingstone made "unnecessarily offensive" and "indefensible" remarks when he likened a Jewish reporter to a Nazi concentration camp guard.
In February 2018 he sparked fury by appearing on Iranian TV on Holocaust Memorial Day to ask whether the genocide has been "exploited";.
Livingstone reiterated that his claims about Hitler were historically accurate and that his suspension from the party was due to a "political struggle".