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Ken spies on Boris and warns him: I'll be back every month
Katharine Barney, City Hall Reporter09.05.08
Ken Livingstone today returned to City Hall, exactly a week after he lost his position of Mayor of London to Tory rival Boris Johnson.
The former Mayor said he had been in politics for so long he didn't know what else to do and said that he would attend every one of the Mayor's monthly Question Time sessions for the next four years.
Mr Livingstone arrived at his old stomping ground shortly before 10am to watch the newly formed London Assembly at their annual meeting.
Dressed in his trademark beige linen suit he sat in the front row of the public chamber looking pensive but less tired than during the campaign.
He said: "I've come to watch the fun. I've been in politics for 40 years so I'm not about to quit now.
"I started out going to watch the Lambeth council meetings and I'm going to make sure I turn up to all of Boris's question times. He has nothing to worry about though. I'm just coming along to observe not to make trouble."
Mr Livingstone seemed upbeat about his defeat and said he had been concentrating on getting some sleep and weeding his garden.
He also said he was planning to spend the majority of the next year writing a book about his time in office.
When asked about Mr Johnson's recent ousting of the chair and the chief executive of the London Development Agency - which is at the centre of the Lee Jasper allegation of corruption - he said it was a foolish move.
Mr Livingstone said: "I think he's made a mistake, all he seems to be doing is putting in a group of his friends rather than people who can do the job. It's a real mistake.
"I'm not worried about what they might uncover. But right now I'm going to concentrate on making sure Labour get back into power."
During today's meeting, the Lib-Dems, Labour party and the Green party formed an alliance to give them a majority and enabling them to force through moves despite the Tories having the most seats with 11 seats.
The group, referred to as a "rainbow of colours" by the Tories, forced through the appointment of Labour member Jennette Arnold as chair of the Assembly and Darren Johnson of the Greens as her deputy.
However, Richard Barnes, leader of the Conservative group, said: "London has voted, the results have been counted and the results have been announced. London has spoken, we have a much enlarged majority and the chair should be a Conservative."
Following the meeting the Assembly members were joined by both Mr Johnson and Mr Livingstone.
Reader views (8)
He only turns up so he can see how London should be run. Maybe he might learn something. A. D. Redrup, Ruislip,Middx.
- A.D. REDRUP, RUISLIP, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND
Ken get out of the building, you're just a grumpy old man. Go home with Lee Jasper.
- Mike, London
Oh no! Can someone please get the pesticide to destroy this vile pest Ken...
As they say "The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime" so it's about time Ken was locked up and kept away from endangering London again.
He just doesn't get the message does he - Londoners think you are a tyrannical left-wing dictator who has ruined London for 8 misery-filled years : Now go away! We cant bear the sight of you!
- Daniel Howard, London,UK
Move on and do us all a favour Livingstone.
- Libby, London
Ken and labour (and the greens) don't you get it? London voted for a Conservative mayor....we don't want you interfering, you've had your chance and look where that got us!
Boris has only just started to unravel your mess and luckily he's chosen respectable and trust worthy executives... I for one say, may Lee Jasper reap the rewards he so justly deserves!
- N/A, UK
Ken has been kicked out...for what reasons would he have to keep going back there? I personally have had enough of his interference on things. We thought we had got rid of him from the GLC, but no, back he comes for 8 more destructive years. Unless you are advising Boris of what initiatives you took so that he can work out what to do about them stay away from the GLA and from politics in general!
- Terry James, Bromley Kent
"I think he's made a mistake, all he seems to be doing is putting in a group of his friends rather than people who can do the job. It's a real mistake."
Pot, kettle, black? Ken did exactly the same and then let them run riot, at least Boris's mates have all come from the private sector and know how a company should be run efficiently, Ken's cohorts were all ex-civil servants and everyone knows they couldn't run a drink up in a brewery (at least not without the proper paperwork signed in triplicate, sent in, sent back, queried, lost, found, subjected to public inquiry, lost again, and finally buried in soft peat for three months and recycled as fire lighters).
- Arthur Dent, Islington
Now perhaps, although I doubt it, Ken Livingstone will learn how to do the job properly, if he is not spending his money flying around the world as he used too...
- Raymond, Elstree
