Livingstone Sorry For 'Psychiatric' Help Jibe

Ken Livingstone has apologised "unreservedly" for telling a Labour MP who had suffered depression that he needed to get "psychiatric" help amid a row over the party's defence review.

The former London mayor said ex-defence minister Kevan Jones should see his GP for depression after Mr Jones criticised Jeremy Corbyn's decision to appoint Mr Livingstone to lead a review of Trident.

Mr Jones gave a moving speech to the House of Commons in 2012 in which he recounted his 1996 battle with depression, winning plaudits for raising mental health issues in such a prominent way.

Mr Livingstone's comments triggered a row between him and Labour MPs who demanded he apologise.

He told Sky News he was not aware of Mr Jones' mental health problems.

"I grew up in south London where if someone's rude to you, you are rude back," Mr Livingstone said.

He initially refused to apologise four times for his comments, but the Labour veteran was forced to say sorry to Mr Jones after Mr Corbyn stepped in.

Mr Livingstone tweeted: "I unreservedly apologise to Kevan Jones for my comments. They should not have been made at all, let alone in this context."

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However, one senior Labour figure has called on the leadership to sack Mr Livingstone from his position on the Trident review.

In a letter to Mr Corbyn, Alan Donnelly, who headed the Labour Party in the European Parliament and is a former member of the National Executive Committee, wrote: "Although Ken Livingstone apparently has now apologised for these disgraceful comments they are indicative of how he instinctively and privately feels about these matters.

"Both in my capacity as the chair of South Shields Labour Party and as a person who believes that Labour must give support to people with mental illness, Ken Livingstone’s comments about Kevan Jones are an utter disgrace.

"You should immediately dismiss Ken Livingstone from the position you have appointed him to."

The row erupted after it was announced that Mr Livingstone, an anti-nuclear campaigner, would lead Labour's defence review alongside the shadow defence secretary Maria Eagle.

The appointment triggered anger from Labour MPs already at odds with Mr Corbyn over his recent stances on the police shoot-to-kill policy and the drone strike against Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John.

The Labour leader also drew fire for his refusal to criticise the Stop the War organisation after it blamed the Paris attacks on Western intervention in the Middle East.

Mr Jones told Politics Home Mr Livingstone's appointment would "damage our credibility" and added: "I'm not sure Ken knows anything about defence."

Backbencher Wes Streeting posted a link on social media to a report in which Mr Livingstone said "the endless interventions of Britain and America and France in Arab countries ... has come back to haunt us".

Mr Streeting posted: "Is this the same Ken Livingstone co-chairing Labour's defence review?"

While Barrow MP John Woodcock tweeted: "Every new day I think we have much reached the summit, but no: there always remains a fresh provocative absurdity."

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Ms Eagle supports keeping Trident, while, in a recent interview, Mr Livingstone called her "mad" for backing the head of the Armed Forces over his comments on Mr Corbyn's position on Britain's nuclear deterrent.

Mr Corbyn, who is a vice-president of Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament (CND), has made clear his opposition to Trident and says he hopes to win round Labour MPs who are in favour of retaining the deterrent.