FORMER London mayor Ken Livingstone has Alzheimer’s disease, his family have announced.
One-time Labour left figurehead “Red Ken”, 78, “will no longer be available for any media interviews”, his spokesman said.
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He added: “Ken’s well cared for by family and friends.”
Livingstone was a prominent figure in the capital for more than 40 years.
He introduced the congestion charge, ultra-cheap bus and Tube fares, and bendy buses.
The former MP was a thorn in the side of Margaret Thatcher’s Tories and New Labour under Sir Tony Blair.
He was London’s first mayor in 2000 and served two terms, losing out to Boris Johnson in 2008.
He quit the Labour Party in 2018, embroiled in anti-Semitism allegations.
The Alzheimer’s Society said: “We’re grateful to Ken’s family for being open about his diagnosis.”