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Ken Livingstone will stand for Brent Central in the 2015 election

Update (12:00): Ken Livingstone is not really the Brent Central candidate – this was an April Fools.

The man, the legend, who first became an MP in Brent East from 1987 to 2001, has broken his vow never to enter an election again after the Brent Central Labour Party made an eleventh hour call to make Ken Livingstone their General Election candidate of 2015.

Though Ken said, as he failed to gain re-election as mayor, that his campaign and eventual loss to Boris Johnson would be his last, it seems that the Labour left-winger has one last fight within him – to take the seat away from Liberal Democrat Sarah Teather.

Others in Brent Central may be disappointed. Former minister, Dawn Butler, who was felt to be a likely candidate, will be unhappy not to have won the candidacy she has been fighting for since the selection started in January this year. The expenses scandal, that she was embroiled in, may also have had permanent damage to her standing.

Also there were rumours that the young councillor Zaffar Kalwala had been interested in the seat. He planted much elegant fire towards the coalition and sitting MP in Brent Central, but his fine political moves were not enough to destabilise interest from the “Red” heavyweight.

Labour named Brent Central as one of its target seats, adding that they would need only a 1.5% swing to win the seat. Furthermore the seat is not one that will be fought for by Labour on an all women shortlist ticket. This opening, as well as the history and the added incentive of knocking out a Liberal Democrat, made Ken salivate too much. It was only going to be so long before he entered politics again.

The rumour that he would stand has been circulating for a while. Richard Osley for the Camden New Journal had blogged on the chatter in March, saying that while everyone had heard about it, verifying its truth was a little harder.

“If anybody sees [Ken] buying a cup of coffee in West End Lane sometime soon, ask him for me”, he concluded his short post.

Well ask no further. Though we could get no word from Livingstone himself, a local party representative confirmed the decision last night, saying: “we are very pleased to announce that Ken will be running as the Labour candidate, a welcome return to politics for the left-wing mahatma”.

10 Comments

  1. John p Reid says:

    I note John Biggs wants to stand for labours choice for mayor of tower hamlets ,will Ken back him or lifter hafman,

    Also if Ken does lose to Sarah teacher, will ken blame blairites for him losing like he did ,when he lost the mayoralty in 2012′ if he does get selected he should be took of LBC straight away.

  2. John p Reid says:

    Also he should wait and see if he doesn’t get re elected to the NEC next yr, as it’ll be close,I think it’s wrong when people quit th NEC and th next one down n the list gets it as the one who quit supporters met have voted for someone else if they’d known, like Oona when she went to the lords in 2008 and Johanna Baxter got it,

  3. Dave says:

    Excellent news.

    We need more Labour Party MPs in Parliament – last time I counted, during the voting on the welfare bill, it seemed that there were only 43 Labour MPs:

    http://labourlist.org/2013/03/labours-40-welfare-sanctions-rebels/

  4. John p Reid says:

    Dave, that’s assuming if he stood he would win, his last two attempts at standing for election didn’t exactly go down well,

  5. Gerry says:

    Ken – don’t do it! Please just retire from active public gracefully…

    Why do so many politicians go on and on and on, outstaying their welcome? It makes them look desperate, not principled…sad, sad, sad!

    You have a worthwhile and proud history of service Ken, especially during your 80s stint at the GLC… but it really is over now: don’t ruin all of that legacy just to become another MP again.

  6. Matty says:

    Good one, 5 comments (2 of them in the afternoon) and all taking it seriously.

  7. Dave says:

    J p Reid: “assuming if he stood he would win”

    Of course. Now what makes me think you’re glad he didn’t win the mayoralty…

  8. Chris says:

    I’d have voted for him

  9. John reid says:

    Dave seeing as I organised the 2008 camapign for him in Havering and got 4000 more votes that time than 2004, and took people to the polling station to vote for him in 2012 and delivered leaflets too, I have no idea why you think that,

  10. Joanna Parker says:

    Ken please please please do it…we need you! The normal man on the street needs you….therefore the country does! Ken Livingstone is Brent…..and he deserves this so much…Go Ken Go!!!!! YOU ARE STILL NEEDED AND A LEGEND IN THE MOST REMARKABLE SENSE OF THE WORD.

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