New Livingstone probe opens as lawyer chosen
KEN LIVINGSTONE is facing a fresh Labour Party investigation over comments he has made since he was suspended from the party for linking Adolf Hitler with Zionism.
Labour sources confirmed to the JC on Wednesday that another probe into the former Mayor of London was “under way”.
It is said to centre on claims against Mr Livingstone since he was first suspended from the party in June 2016 and on his failure to show any remorse.
If found guilty of the new charges Mr Livingstone would almost certainly face expulsion from the party.
There had been fears among Jewish groups and campaigners that Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, would shelve any further investigation. He told a member of the audience at a BBC Question Time show before June’s general election that it “may or may not happen after the election”.
But party officials are now said to be taking the new process “very seriously” and a leading QC has been
Ken Livingstone appointed to make an initial assessment of the charges against Mr Livingstone. The allegations are believed to relate to Mr Livingstone’s repeated media interviews and conduct after his suspension.
After taking legal advice, those bringing the new complaints against Mr Livingstone are believed to have been advised not to revisit his original remarks on Hitler and Zionism.
It is thought that even if Labour’s National Constitutional Committee found in their favour, Mr Livingstone would attempt to overturn the decision in a judicial review.
More than 1,000 Jewish Labour members and supporters signed a letter published in the Guardian newspaper in April condemning the decision not to expel Mr Livingstone from the party.
The letter, signed by influential party members described Mr Livingstone’s comments as a “betrayal”. In the April hearing, a disciplinary panel ruled Mr Livingstone had brought the par- ty into disrepute, and his suspension should continue until April 2018.
The panel also imposed a two-year suspension on him holding office in Labour, of which one year had already been served by the time of the hearing.
In a series of defiant interviews after the hearing, Mr Livingstone said he had nothing to apologise for.
He said: “If I’d said Hitler was a Zionist, I would say sorry. You can’t apologise for telling the truth.”
The decision not to expel Mr Livingstone permanently was met with dismay from critics. Jonathan Arkush, Board of Deputies president, said relations between Labour and the community had reached “a new, alltime low”.
Mr Corbyn said after the hearing that Mr Livingstone’s failure to apologise for “grossly insensitive” comments had been “deeply disappointing”.
Labour’s national executive committee disputes panel met earlier this month. It is believed to have included a discussion on the investigation into Mr Livingstone. But any new inquiry is now unlikely to take place before the Labour Party conference in September.
A Labour spokeswoman confirmed the investigation was “ongoing”.