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Ken Livingstone defies calls to say sorry for 'may need psychiatric help' remark Jeremy Corbyn to ask Ken Livingstone to say sorry for 'psychiatric help' remark
(about 1 hour later)
Ken Livingstone has declined four times to retract his suggestion that a shadow defence minister “might need some psychiatric help”, despite Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn demanding that he apologise. Jeremy Corbyn is to tell his ally Ken Livingstone that he must make an unequivocal apology for saying a shadow defence minister “might need some psychiatric help”.
The row broke out after Livingstone, who opposes renewing Trident, was appointed to co-convene Labour’s defence review – a move that was questioned by Kevan Jones, a shadow defence minister. The Labour leader is due to speak to the former London mayor, who suggested Kevan Jones was mentally ill for questioning his appointment as co-convenor of Labour’s defence review. Jones has spoken publicly of experiencing depression in 1996.
Asked about Jones, Livingstone told the Mirror: “I think he might need some psychiatric help. He’s obviously very depressed and disturbed … He should pop off and see his GP before he makes these offensive comments.” Senior Labour sources suggested the leadership was unimpressed after Livingstone appeared to offer a grudging apology. Livingstone told ITV: “If Jeremy wants me to apologise, I will.” Pressed on whether that was a “sorry”, he said: “Well it’s the best you’re gonna get.”
Jones, who has spoken of his experience of depression in 1996, said he found the comments gravely offensive “not just personally but also to the many thousands who suffer from mental illness”. A Labour source said: “Jeremy has already made clear he is extremely concerned and angered by what was said. He takes issues of stigmatisation and mental health incredibly seriously. He has asked Ken to apologise and trusts that will happen as soon as possible.
“I think we need the apology. I am sure Jeremy will be talking to Ken and I trust and hope that he will be apologising.”
The row broke out when Livingstone criticised Jones in highly personal terms after the shadow minister had questioned his appointment to the defence review. This will examine whether Labour should support the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons programme. Livingstone is an opponent of Trident while Maria Eagle, the shadow defence secretary who will be his fellow convenor, supports the system. Eagle is said to be furious about the appointment.
Livingstone, who was appointed by Labour’s national executive committee, told the Mirror: “I think he [Jones] might need some psychiatric help. He’s obviously very depressed and disturbed … He should pop off and see his GP before he makes these offensive comments.”
The former London mayor said he would not have made the remarks if he had known about Jones’s depression but initially refused to apologise.
Related: Ken Livingstone 'sorry for upsetting' MP with history of depression - Politics live
“He was rude about me, I was rude back to him. He needs to get over it,” he said, saying that was part of his south London upbringing.
Livingstone said after the leadership’s call for an unequivocal apology that he was sorry for upsetting Jones but said he was not to blame for the row. He told The World at One on BBC Radio 4: “I had no idea that he [Kevan Jones] had any mental health issues or I would never have said it.
“If he is upset, I am sorry. But he can’t blame me. He was the one that came out and questioned my competence to do this job. I just think it is time Labour MPs stopped undermining Jeremy Corbyn’s decisions and his appointments.”
Pat McFadden, the shadow Europe minister, dismissed Livingstone’s apology as “half-hearted and dismissive”. McFadden told The World at One: “If you are going to apologise for something, do it properly and not in a half-hearted and dismissive way. If you are going to apologise for something, do it genuinely.”
Asked about Livingstone’s apology on the same programme, McFadden said: “That is not a proper apology. ‘If you are upset I’m sorry’ puts the onus on to the person you have insulted in the first place. It should be ‘I shouldn’t have said this’, and it doesn’t matter whether or not he knew about Kevan’s personal history.”
Jones, who has spoken of his experience of depression in parliament, said he found Livingstone’s initial comments gravely offensive “not just personally but also to the many thousands who suffer from mental illness”.
He told the Guardian that Livingstone was not fit to hold any position of responsibility in the Labour party.He told the Guardian that Livingstone was not fit to hold any position of responsibility in the Labour party.
“I along with Jeremy have worked very hard in parliament to try and raise the problem of the stigma of mental illness. Ken Livingstone’s comments are disgraceful in the sense that because you have a political difference you shouldn’t use mental illness as a tool against someone,” he said. “I, along with Jeremy, have worked very hard in parliament to try and raise the problem of the stigma of mental illness. Ken Livingstone’s comments are disgraceful in the sense that because you have a political difference you shouldn’t use mental illness as a tool against someone,” he said.
“That is not acceptable in this day and age. Those type of tactics should stay in the dark ages where they belong. I don’t think anyone who holds the views he does in terms of mental illness is fit to be a person that represents the Labour party.”“That is not acceptable in this day and age. Those type of tactics should stay in the dark ages where they belong. I don’t think anyone who holds the views he does in terms of mental illness is fit to be a person that represents the Labour party.”
Afterwards, Livingstone told the Evening Standard he had not been aware Jones had had depression, but refused to retract his comments. A string of senior Labour MPs lined up to criticise Livingstone, including Luciana Berger, the shadow mental health secretary, who said the comments were unacceptable, appalling and should be retracted. “These comments should be treated as seriously as racism or sexism,” she said.
The Standard reported Livingstone as saying: “He was complaining about my defence appointment. It doesn’t matter what disorders he’s got, he doesn’t have the right to be rude … to be constantly undermining Jeremy Corbyn.” Labour’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, said: “We had a long discussion at the NEC on Monday about the need to encourage members to be respectful to each other in political discussion.
He then repeatedly declined to say sorry for the remarks on LBC, saying: “He was rude about me, I was rude back to him. He needs to get over it.” However, he did say that he would not have made the comments if he had known Jones had had depression. “Ken Livingstone is a very experienced member of Labour’s national executive committee and he should lead by example. I’m sure he will want to apologise to Kevan Jones and withdraw his comments.”
At the same time, a spokesperson for Jeremy Corbyn released a statement saying: “Jeremy is incredibly concerned that people with mental health problems shouldn’t be stigmatised. He has worked with Kevan in the past on this issue and is impressed by his bravery in speaking out on his own mental health issues. Ken should apologise to him straight away.” Livingstone’s comments are likely to escalate the row over his appointment, which he announced on Sunday night. It has been taken as a sign that Corbyn is intensifying his efforts to drop his party’s support for Trident.
Luciana Berger, the shadow mental health secretary, said Livingstone’s comments were unacceptable, appalling and should be retracted. Related: Trident opponent Ken Livingstone joins Labour defence review
“These comments should be treated as seriously as racism or sexism,” she said. Eagle infuriated Corbyn recently when she backed Gen Sir Nicholas Houghton, the chief of the defence staff, after he questioned the Labour leader’s statement that he would never endorse the use of Trident.
Livingstone’s comments are likely to escalate the row over his appointment to the defence review, alongside shadow defence secretary Maria Eagle, which he announced on Sunday night.
His appointment to the post has been taken as a sign that Corbyn is intensifying his efforts to drop his party’s support for Trident.
Eagle infuriated Corbyn recently when she backed General Sir Nicholas Houghton, the chief of the defence staff, after he questioned the Labour leader’s statement that he would never endorse the use of Trident.
Livingstone, an ally of Corbyn, has previously called Eagle “mad” in an interview on Russia Today for her comments that appeared to back Houghton’s position.
There have been reports that Eagle was not told about Livingstone’s appointment before it appeared on Twitter, but a source close to the shadow cabinet minister denied suggestions she was poised to resign.There have been reports that Eagle was not told about Livingstone’s appointment before it appeared on Twitter, but a source close to the shadow cabinet minister denied suggestions she was poised to resign.
The source said: “Maria and Ken are co-convening the review and Maria will still be leading it as was outlined by Jeremy at conference. Trident will be just one of many issues the review will look at; there isn’t a separate review.”The source said: “Maria and Ken are co-convening the review and Maria will still be leading it as was outlined by Jeremy at conference. Trident will be just one of many issues the review will look at; there isn’t a separate review.”
Livingstone told the Guardian, prior to the publication of his comments about Jones, that some New Labour MPs had fallen into a “great depression” since Corbyn’s victory in September’s leadership contest.“Far too many of the old New Labour Blairites believe their government was the high point of human civilisation and are traumatised by the enormous defeat of their candidate Liz Kendall and have fallen into a great depression,” he said.“What is interesting is that we don’t have to pay much attention to the PLP. It is full of people undermining Jeremy, but it doesn’t matter as much now we have a growing membership,” he said.He dismissed criticisms that he was going into the defence review with pre-conceived ideas on Trident, despite footage recorded two days ago by Russia Today which showed him saying Eagle was “mad” if she really believed it was worth spending money on.“My approach has always been ‘what are the facts’. Don’t come with pre-conceived ideas. Let us have a look at what the facts are. Is this the best way to spend our military budget? We will be working together on all this. And hopefully we can come to a consensus,” he said. Livingstone told the Guardian, prior to the publication of his comments about Jones, that some New Labour MPs had fallen into a “great depression” since Corbyn’s victory in September’s leadership contest.
Corbyn had hoped to take steps towards dropping Labour’s support for Trident at this year’s Labour conference but a bid to hold a vote failed after he could not win the support of the major trade unions. “Far too many of the old New Labour Blairites believe their government was the high point of human civilisation and are traumatised by the enormous defeat of their candidate Liz Kendall and have fallen into a great depression,” he said. “What is interesting is that we don’t have to pay much attention to the PLP. It is full of people undermining Jeremy, but it doesn’t matter as much now we have a growing membership.”
Corbyn is hoping the defence review will lead to a change of policy at Labour’s national policy forum. The leadership believes the appointment of Livingstone will create a balanced ticket with Eagle in the hope of finding common ground on Trident. He dismissed criticisms that he was going into the defence review with pre-conceived ideas on Trident, despite footage recorded two days ago by Russia Today that shows him saying Eagle was “mad” if she believed it was worth spending money on.
But Labour might face an earlier challenge on Trident. The SNP is planning to hold a Commons vote on Trident next week. Labour is still officially in favour of Trident, raising the prospect that frontbenchers could vote in different ways. The Labour leadership is understood to be pressing for its MPs to abstain on the grounds that the party’s policy is under review and the real vote on Trident will come in the “maingate” decision next year. “My approach has always been ‘what are the facts’. Don’t come with pre-conceived ideas. Let us have a look at what the facts are. Is this the best way to spend our military budget? We will be working together on all this. And hopefully we can come to a consensus,” he said.
Livingstone threw his weight behind Corbyn on Tuesday when he supported his call for any extension of RAF airstrikes against Islamic State into Syria to be agreed by the UN. Livingstone told the PM programme on BBC Radio 4: “Britain and America are so discredited because of our record in Afghanistan and Iraq. This has got to be a UN-led coalition. We need to bring on board countries like China, Nigeria, Brazil. It can’t just be seen as Britain and America interfering in the Middle East again.” Corbyn had hoped to take steps towards dropping Labour’s support for Trident at this year’s Labour conference, but a bid to hold a vote failed after he could not win the support of the major trade unions.
Asked whether he would support the strikes if a UN security council resolution were agreed, Livingstone said: “Of course, because Isis is an absolutely horrendous organisation. It’s not just the threat they pose to us here in London, but it is the appalling regime they inflict on people living in Syria and Iraq, beheading them, raping their women. They should be defeated, they should be overthrown. But it has got to be a UN-led coalition. It can’t just be the west interfering again.” Corbyn is hoping the defence review will lead to a change of policy at Labour’s national policy forum. The leadership believes the appointment of Livingstone will create a balanced ticket in the hope of finding common ground on Trident.
Tensions within the Labour party have burst into the open after a succession of MPs, including two frontbenchers, openly challenged Corbyn’s authority in the House of Commons over his response to the Islamic State threat. But Labour might face an earlier challenge on Trident. The SNP is planning to hold a Commons vote on it next week. Labour is still officially in favour of Trident, raising the prospect that frontbenchers could vote in different ways. The Labour leadership is understood to be pressing for its MPs to abstain on the grounds that the party’s policy is under review and the real vote on Trident will come in the “maingate” decision next year.