Ken: Make Olympic VIPS 'get on the bloody Tube'

By Ian Dunt

Olympic officials and corporate executives should be forced to get the Tube to the event like everyone else, Ken Livingstone said today.

Speaking at the press gallery lunch in parliament, the Labour mayoral candidate said the proposed VIP lanes for Olympic officials should be cancelled.

Executives from companies such as Coca Cola should "get on the bloody Tube like everyone else", he said.

"It's all bloody McDonalds and Coca Cola execs in VIP lanes, not the athletes", he added.

In a question and answer session with journalists, the candidate also attacked the Evening Standard for repeatedly mentioning his age in its coverage.

"The bloody Evening Standard never mentions me without '66' in brackets," he said.

"I'm doing what bloody Cameron and Osborne want - working longer."

The Labour politician also reminisced about when all politicians were "bloody ugly" and warned that the mayoral system had encouraged the creation of a celebrity political culture where too much executive power was concentrated in one figure.

He admitted that he did enjoy the role, however, because "there is no sir Humphrey there".