Ken Livingstone announces his resignation from Labour Party amid antisemitism row

Ken Livingstone has announced his resignation from the Labour Party, two years after he was suspended over comments on Adolf Hitler and Zionism.

The former London mayor was facing fresh disciplinary proceedings this week and said he had decided to quit because he believed his case had become “a distraction”.

He insisted he was not antisemitic and had not brought the Labour Party into disrepute, but said he was ”truly sorry” for causing offence to the Jewish community.

Mr Livingstone had become a controversial figure in the party after receiving a two-year suspension for his claims, made in 2016, that Hitler had “supported Zionism ... before he went mad and killed six million Jews”.

Critics said the failure to expel him from the party was emblematic of Labour’s problems in tackling antisemitism, but Mr Livingstone repeatedly insisted he had merely been stating historical facts when claiming the Nazi leader had supported the idea of a Jewish state.

The case was due to be discussed again at a meeting of Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) this week.

In a statement, Mr Livingstone said: “After much consideration, I have decided to resign from the Labour Party.

“The ongoing issues around my suspension from the Labour Party have become a distraction from the key political issue of our time – which is to replace a Tory government overseeing falling living standards and spiralling poverty, while starving our schools and the NHS of the vital resources they need.”

He continued: “I do not accept the allegation that I have brought the Labour Party into disrepute – nor that I am in any way guilty of antisemitism. I abhor antisemitism, I have fought it all my life and will continue to do so.

“I also recognise that the way I made a historical argument has caused offence and upset in the Jewish community. I am truly sorry for that.”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Mr Livingstone’s decision was “sad” but “the right thing to do”.

“Ken Livingstone‘s resignation is sad after such a long and vital contribution to London and progressive politics, but was the right thing to do,” he said.

Mr Livingstone was handed a two-year suspension by Labour in April 2016 following an internal investigation. This was extended in March of this year pending further disciplinary enquiries.

The former mayor of London had repeatedly refused to apologise for his comments, saying only that he regretted any offence they may have caused. He had also frequently made comments about Hitler in other interviews, prompting groups representing Jewish Labour members to demand his expulsion.

Earlier this month he threatened to sue Labour if it expelled him over his comments.