Ex-London mayor says Chuka Umunna, Wes Streeting and others are undermining Jeremy Corbyn and damaging the party

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Labour should suspend MPs disloyal to Jeremy Corbyn, including Chuka Umunna and Wes Streeting, Ken Livingstone has said.

Livingstone, a former London mayor and ally of the Labour leader, also said MPs should be forced to reapply to be candidates at the next election, saying it was “ridiculous that MPs in safe seats have a job for life”.

When asked to whom he was referring, he said: “I’m particularly talking about Chuka Umunna, Wes Streeting – basically it’s the same group of MPs who were screaming that I’d said Hitler was a Zionist and I was antisemitic.

“The moment that issue went on hold, they were then blaming Jeremy for Britain voting to leave. Just endless criticism. It’s only about a dozen of them. The simple fact is they are consciously undermining Jeremy and damaging the Labour party,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.



Livingstone is suspended by Labour “for bringing the party into disrepute” after MPs accused of him of antisemitism and making offensive comments about Hitler supporting Zionism.

He faces a disciplinary hearing next week and has vowed to take the party to court if he loses.



“I’m afraid we’ll have to be off to a judicial review in the courts, and in the court the issue will be what was actually said and what is the truth, and the Labour party has got no chance of winning a judicial review,” he said.



“I’m basically retired. I’m not seeking office. I haven’t asked Jeremy or didn’t ask Ed Miliband to send me to the House of Lords or anything like that. I’m a house husband, but I’m not having my political career defined at the end that I’m antisemitic.”

Streeting responded by saying he would not be “taking any lectures on loyalty from Ken Livingstone” and was “only surprised he hasn’t been expelled yet”.