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Ken's secret son is 15 and living in London
Keith Dovkants, Paul Waugh and Pippa Crerar04.04.08
Ken Livingstone has a secret son who is a happy and successful 15-year-old schoolboy who regularly sees his father, the Standard can reveal.
The Evening Standard has known for some years about the Mayor's son and two daughters from another, earlier relationship, but chose not to publish the story.
Now Mr Livingstone has himself disclosed the fact that he has five children, and not two as everyone supposed.
The existence of his three secret children emerged last night in a BBC London report. It claimed that the Mayor had been "an involved father" to all of them and is in regular contact.
When the revelations were put to him, he acknowledged that Emma Beal and others close to him knew of his other children.
After the birth of his first child with his current partner, Ms Beal, in 2002, Mr Livingstone made no move to correct the widespread report that it was his first child. While Londoners believed this to be the case - and congratulated the mayor on becoming a father for the first time at the age of 57 - close friends knew the truth.
They also knew that Mr Livingstone was extremely touchy about his two secret families. "This has always been a big no-no with Ken," one said. "You just don't go there."
But now he has revealed the existence of his three unknown children, apparently because the fact was about to be published in a new biography.
His daughters are grown up and were born during a relationship that pre-dated his high-profile political career. But his son, who is 16 this year, was born while he was MP for Brent East, with a schoolteacher, now in her 50s. She lives in north London with the boy and he attends a local school.
Mr Livingstone has two children with Ms Beal, Tom, five and fouryearold Mia.
Some months ago, the Evening Standard received a letter from a person who said they had a child at the same school and that it was well-known among staff and pupils that the boy was Ken Livingstone's son, but the mayor had never publicly acknowledged him. In fact the Mayor has been involved in the boy's life since his birth.
It seems he would have preferred to keep the existence of his three unknown children a secret, but he was asked about them by Andrew Hosken, the BBC journalist and author whose new biography of the mayor is due out soon.
Hosken told the Standard: "During one of my meetings with Ken at City Hall I raised the question of the children."
Mr Livingstone sought to shrug off the issue with a return to the mayoral campaign trail today.
He was today preparing to stage an event in Holloway warning Londoners not to vote for the far-right British National Party in the coming City Hall elections.
The Mayor was set to seize on the the BNP's call this week for its voters to use their second preference to vote for Boris Johnson. Less than four
weeks from the May 1 election, he is fighting for his political life after polls showed him behind Mr Johnson in the race for Mayor.
Critics immediately suspected that the latest revelations about Mr Livingstone's family were a calculated attempt to pre-empt newspaper exposes and prevent any further damage to his re-election bid.
A new biography containing details of his family life - "Ken: the Ups and Downs of Ken Livingstone" by Mr Hosken - is set to be serialised imminently, but Mr Livingstone's office categorically denied claims that it had deliberately leaked the news.
When asked if any member of his campaign team had leaked the story, his spokeswoman said: "Absolutely not."
Mr Livingstone launched a passionate defence of his right to keep his family life private. He told the BBC: "I don't think anybody in this city is shocked about what consenting adults do. As long as you don't involve children, animals or vegetables they leave people to get on and live their own life in their own way."
An exclusive YouGov/Evening Standard poll this week found that 62 per cent of Londoners believed the mayoral candidates' private lives "didn't matter".
Just 20 per cent said it did matter. Among Livingstone supporters, only 11 per cent said it was an issue and of those just two per cent felt "strongly" that it mattered.
Mr Livingstone has always closely guarded the privacy of his two children with Ms Beal.
In recent weeks, he has blamed "bad parenting" as a possible cause of a spate of teenage murders in the capital, where 11 youngsters have been killed so far this year.
At the Evening Standard mayoral debate on Monday, he claimed that the many children descended into violence because they lacked a proper "father figure". He has also claimed that parents are failing to instill a proper "moral code" into their children.
But Mr Livingstone rejected charges of hypocrisy, claiming that there was "no problem at all" for his political views as a result of his private affairs. He insisted that Ms Beal had known about his other children.
"There is nothing in my private life that is not known to my partner, family or my close friends. I'm quite happy with my private life and the people who have shared my private life over the last 40 years. I don't see any complaints-No one has ever found anything-in my private life that was illegal or immoral."
In a statement, Mr Livingstone's campaign referred to the fact that both his Tory and Liberal Democrat rivals had had issues in their private lives in the past.
Mr Johnson's extra-marital affair with a journalist was exposed by the News of the World four years ago, while Mr Paddick was smeared by a former partner who made false claims about their life together.
Reader views (26)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
Ken Livingstone implies that what happens between two adults does not concern children. Not so, when the birth of a child is the result. There are too many unfortunate children being brought up without fathers which has led to an increase in anti-social behaviour and crime. Livingstone is a very bad role model.
- Patt, London, England.
Who cares? Johnson has had a few affairs here and there - who cares? I'm sure Paddick has made mistakes in his personal life - who cares?
Why should Ken have to parade his kids about a la Cameron to garner a few votes? Let's move on and look at policies.
The prospect of Tim-Nice-But-Dim in office is frankly frightening. It would turn London into a laughing stock. The British George W in power!
- John Jones, Hammersmith
Pretty soon Red Ken will have more time but less money to spend with these people.
- Peteo, London, NW1
l think this horrible snivelling man Livingstone has to go
is not trusted...
- Jackson Deal, England
What a strange man that Red Ken. Good riddance hopefully soon. I do not like what I see from him.
- Georgie, Islington, London
The worst aspect of this story is not the fact that he has fathered all these children. It is the fact that Ken threatened to sue the press for libel were this story published, nevertheless knowing full well that the story was true!
If he can threaten to sue over the truth what lies has he told over the years?
- Scarlet Lane, London
No wonder Livingstone is desperate to hang on to his job with 5 illegitimate kids and 3 women for us to support.
- Kenherts, Enfield
What an example for young people to follow! Livingstone has cost London dear costing many people their jobs in small companies and shops in central London.
Nobody mentions what has happened to all the factories closed down and bulldozed and the people now out of work because of the Olympics.
My bet is that there are hundreds now on the dole who worked in factories now demolished to make way for a two week wonder.
- Kenherts, Enfield
I don't think the issue is whether voters/Londoners care about the events or background to them - I think that when a politician holds himself out to be speaking the truth, it is the truth and not - the truth so far as I see it fit for you to know.
Unfortunately this seems to be Ken's stance - vote for me and then stand away and don't question me ever again - isn't there a similar problem going on at the moment with Mr Mugabe
- Peter Wood, Chequers, Buckinghamshire
In any ordinary person from a council estate, such behaviour would be classified as feckless. It would be interesting to know who has supported his other families - Livingstone or the put-upon taxpayers? Definitely time for a change of Mayor.
- Diana,, London
A lot would depend on who paid for the children's upbringing. Should it later turn out that either of his two previous paramours were reliant on state benefit to do so it wouldn't reflect well on Livingstone's sense of responsibility.
- P Johns, London England
So comrade Ken has bested fellow Marxist Stalin, who only had four children by three women. He is a champion indeed!
- Cynic, London UK
Women love power. If a male baboon became a mayor would any number flock to mate with him, have his offspring and enjoy his money and position?
And will there be kiss-and-tell stories if he falls from grace? And an on-going financial return?
"When will they ever learn?" - The Thin Blue Line.
- Peter Seekings-Foster, Muildenhall, Suffolk
I do like Boris Johnson, and I believe him to be a good politician for all his scatty ways, and I am a Tory - but, there is no doubting it, as a Londoner, and a proud one at that, Ken Livingstone has done a great job for us, and I am more than happy yo let him continue, I will vote for him. London is a special city, and Islington is a lovely place to live, and it has got better since we had an elected mayor.
- John Kirby, Islington, London
Ken just lost my vote. Boris is a joke and is a policeman the right way forward?
Maybe I should have stood as London Mayor after all.
- Julian Savitch-Lee, Wimbledon, London
Neil, Livingstone did not volunteer this information - a tabloid was going to run with a 'scandalous expose' on this information later this week, so he chose to speak about it first. Mr Port, he wasn't hiding this information - it's simply none of our business. And Janniek, rational people don't find anything offensive about children being born to unmarried parents.
- Charlie, Soho
I think I might even vote for him because of the latest revelations. He has also promised to make Freedom Passes 24/7 within a year to help the elderly, which I think is a very sensible move.
- Malcolm, London
Leave Ken alone..he's been great for London..under his leadership the place has brightened up. He is hugely responsible for making London the vibrant city it is today...and if nothing else he stood up to Margaret Thatcher and his own Labour Party and won. Long may he reign over us!.
- Louis Raynor, London, UK
What's he trying to prove now, that he's as big an idiot as Nick Clegg?
- Peter Thurgood, London, UK
What else is he hiding from the public?
- Malcolm, chingford
It sounds like Ken has been a good father to this other family. His current partner seems to be aware of all the facts. So long as he's supporting those kids then this can only count in his favour.
- Mart, London, UK
Interesting Mr Livingstone claims that his private has not been immoral. He is not married, has children with different ladies. Regardless of one's faith, what example does this set to the youth of today?
I cannot imagine growing up without having my mother and father there together. (With exceptions of death, for example, which is known in my case).
What is Julius Nuga basing her facts on? The Mayor has spent vast sums of money of useless projects, crime, unemployment, taxes, filth, immigration, economy are all factors he should be improving. I do not see any improvements. Do you?
- Janniek, London
I think his time as mayor is up. What else has he been hiding from the public over the last 8 years?
- Mr S. Port, London
Yawn, yawn, yawn, so now he's using his offspring for media attention.
Poor kids.
- Neil Grinsell, London
I suppose that it could be true that he has been an active father. And perhaps, the fact that none of the parties involved in this very private family have thrown mud around supports the idea that there isn't an issue with the mothers and children. Until there is evidence to the contrary, I'm willing to believe there is no issue.
- Maria, London
As a citizen of London, it does not bother me a bit if he has 20 'secret' children. He seems to be well involved and a responsible father.
What matters to me is that he is a very good Mayor for London and he is doing a great job. I think the press should leave him alone and concentrate more on his legacy as mayor of this great world city. Please leave Ken's private life alone and do not try to bring him down at all costs!
- Julius Nuga, Abbots Langley UK
