Former London mayor Ken Livingstone ‘living with Alzheimer’s disease’, his family says
Former London mayor Ken Livingstone is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, his family has announced.
The one-time figurehead of the Labour left is being “well cared for by his family and friends” as he lives a “private life” in retirement, they said in a statement.
“In response to media enquiries the Livingstone family today announce that Ken Livingstone, ex-MP for Brent and former mayor of London, has been diagnosed with and is living with Alzheimer’s disease," the statement read.
"Although a previously prominent public figure, Ken is now retired and lives a private life."
“Ken is being well cared for by his family and friends and we ask you for your understanding and to respect his privacy and that of his family," his family's statement continued.
While having largely retreated from public life in recent years, the 78-year-old was a prominent figure in London politics for more than four decades from the 1970s.
In his heyday, “Red Ken” was a thorn in the side both of Margaret Thatcher’s Tories and New Labour under Sir Tony Blair.
He stood as an independent and became the first mayor of London in May 2000 when then-prime minister Sir Tony created the powerful post.
In his second term, which he won as the official Labour candidate, he earned praise for the way he stood up for London after the July 2005 suicide bombings and helped win the 2012 Olympic Games for the capital.
Mr Livingstone lost City Hall in 2008 when he was defeated by an equally colourful opponent in Boris Johnson and a failed bid to return to office in 2012 marked the end of his electoral ambitions.
He became embroiled in a string of allegations of anti-Semitism, over which he quit the Labour Party in 2018.
It came after a long-running row over his claims that Adolf Hitler had backed Zionism in the 1930s, which had originally seen him suspended from the organisation in 2016.
The ex-Brent East MP was singled out in a human rights watchdog report in 2020 into how Labour dealt with anti-Semitism claims, which said Jewish Labour Party members felt he had made comments that “had the effect of stirring up and fuelling hatred for Jews”.
On Tuesday, it was reported that Mr Livingstone withdrew a legal challenge to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s report.
To find out more and get support, visit the NHS website or Dementia UK.
Dementia UK's Helpline is free to call on 0800 888 6678 for support.
The Alzheimer’s Society praised his family for “being open about his diagnosis”.
Chief executive Kate Lee said: “We are really sorry to hear that Ken Livingstone is living with Alzheimer’s disease. Our thoughts are with him and his family.
“We can see from the high profile individuals who have recently spoken about their dementia diagnosis, including Alastair Stewart and Fiona Phillips amongst others, how prevalent dementia is.
"One in three people born in the UK today will go on to develop this devastating condition.
"We’re grateful to Ken’s family for being open about his diagnosis which will really help increase public understanding.
"It’s crucial we get people talking because a problem of this scale won’t go away on its own. Receiving a diagnosis can be daunting, but we believe it’s better to know."
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