Ken Livingstone has announced he has resigned from the Labour party, following a two-year anti-Semitism row that led to his suspension in 2016.
The former Mayor of London had been accused of anti-Semitism after he claimed that “Zionists had collaborated with Adolf Hitler”, The Times reports. He repeated the statement several times after he was suspended from the party.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Livingstone was under pressure to leave the party after Shami Chakrabarti, who produced a report about anti-Semitism in Labour, “hinted that she might quit the Labour frontbench if he was not expelled from the party”, The Guardian reports.
The former London mayor was due to face a fresh round of disciplinary action from the party next week, and reportedly made the decision to resign after being made aware that several senior members of the National Executive Committee would once again call for him to be expelled.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said that Livingstone’s resignation was the right thing to do, but added it was “sad after such a long and vital contribution to London and progressive politics”.
The Campaign Against Antisemitsm said Corbyn’s decision to express sorrow about Livingstone’s resignation had “rubbed salt into the wound”, says the BBC.
Labour MP Ruth Smeeth said Livingstone’s decision was “welcome”, adding that his “toxic views” should have led to his expulsion from the party “years ago”.
-
Political cartoons for November 29Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include Kash Patel's travel perks, believing in Congress, and more
-
Nigel Farage: was he a teenage racist?Talking Point Farage’s denials have been ‘slippery’, but should claims from Reform leader’s schooldays be on the news agenda?
-
Pushing for peace: is Trump appeasing Moscow?In Depth European leaders succeeded in bringing themselves in from the cold and softening Moscow’s terms, but Kyiv still faces an unenviable choice
-
What does the fall in net migration mean for the UK?Today’s Big Question With Labour and the Tories trying to ‘claim credit’ for lower figures, the ‘underlying picture is far less clear-cut’
-
American antisemitismFeature The world’s oldest hatred is on the rise in U.S. Why?
-
The GOP: Will it welcome antisemites?Feature That Carlson would grant Fuentes access to his massive audience is proof that his hate ‘is entering the MAGA mainstream’
-
‘National dynamics will likely be the tipping point’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Will the public buy Rachel Reeves’s tax rises?Today’s Big Question The Chancellor refused to rule out tax increases in her televised address, and is set to reverse pledges made in the election manifesto
-
Nick Fuentes’ Groyper antisemitism is splitting the rightTalking Points Interview with Tucker Carlson draws conservative backlash
-
Five takeaways from Plaid Cymru’s historic Caerphilly by-election winThe Explainer The ‘big beasts’ were ‘humbled’ but there was disappointment for second-placed Reform too
-
The Chinese threat: No. 10’s evidence leads to more questionsTalking Point Keir Starmer is under pressure after collapsed spying trial
