Ken Livingstone calls for 12 Labour MPs to be suspended for 'undermining' Jeremy Corbyn

Pic:Ken Livingstone has called for 'about a dozen' Labour MPs to be suspended
Political reporter(wp/es):

Former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has called for a group of Labour MPs to be suspended for deliberately undermining leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Livingstone, a close ally of the party leader, named London MPs Chuka Umunna and Wes Streeting among the “about a dozen” of MPs who he believes should be suspended.

The veteran Labour politician is himself currently suspended from the party over alleged anti-Semitic comments.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live just days after Mr Corbyn issued a plea for party unity, Mr Livingstone called for the removal of "disloyal" MPs.

"Those that have been most over the top I think should be suspended," he told interviewer Emma Barnett.

He also called for the reintroduction of automatic re-selection of MPs, a move which could see centrist politicians in the party removed by grassroots Corbyn supporters.

“I think the other thing that Jeremy should do is re-introduce automatic re-selection. It's really ridiculous that MPs in safe seats have a job for life.

"I'm particularly talking about Chuka Umunna, Wes Streeting - basically it's the same group of MPs who were screaming that I'd said Hitler was a Zionist and I was anti-Semitic.

"The moment that issue went on hold, they were then blaming Jeremy for Britain voting to leave (the EU). Just endless criticism. It's only about a dozen of them.

"The simple fact is they are consciously undermining Jeremy and damaging the Labour Party."

Mr Livingstone said he expected to lose his disciplinary hearing next week on his suspension from the party, and indicated he will take Labour to court if that is the result.

The comments which led to his suspension took place on the Vanessa Feltz show on BBC Radio London, when he referred to Hitler’s policy of moving Jewish people to Israel as Zionism.

19-year-old found dead in Mercedes after shooting in east London

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A 19-year-old was found dead in a car after being shot in east London, it has emerged.

The victim was shot as he sat in a Mercedes, before being found by shocked passers-by after a “commotion” in a busy road in Ilford last night.

Paramedics found the man unconscious with a gunshot wound and battled to save him but he died at the scene.

The incident comes just two days after an 18-year-old was shot dead as he cycled through an estate in near-by Barking.

David Adegbite, 18, was ambushed by a gang who surrounded him in a car park on the St Ann’s estate shortly after 7pm on Sunday.

Scotland Yard said today it was too early to say if the two shootings were linked.

Officers were called to reports of the shooting at the Ilford Lane junction with Bedford Road, Ilford, at 10.10pm last night.

Witnesses described hearing two gun shots ring out after a fight broke out near the junction of Bedford Road.

A shop worker said: “There was some sort of a gang fight, probably over drugs, and then a stabbing and two gun shots and then the shooters drove off.

“Armed police come down and blocked off the road.”

Khalid Hussain, chair of Ilford Business Association, who runs K1tyres in Ilford Lane, said CCTV showed a car pulling up alongside another vehicle last night. 

He said: “There’s some kind of commotion, and it looks like the man the car is shot. The car looks like a Mercedes.

“The other car drives off then there’s a Good Samaritan who runs to the car. I think he calls police and tries to help them man inside.”

Residents of the road where the man was shot, a quiet street of Victorian terraces, spoke of their shock at the killing.

Rafa Roblewski, 31, a student who recently moved to the street with his girlfriend said: “It’s really scary this has happened. We hoped we were moving somewhere nicer and then a man is shot dead here.”

Buses were diverted and a cordon was still in place this morning as forensic officers combed the area for evidence.

A Met spokeswoman said: “Police were called by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) on to a report of a man unconscious after being shot in Ilford Lane at the junction with Bedford Road, Ilford.

“Officers attended along with the LAS and found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was attended to by paramedics but was pronounced dead at the scene at 23.22pm.”

The family of the man, whose age is not known, have not yet been informed of his death. There have been no arrests.

Woman dies in Westminster attack

Pic:police shoot attaker
Crime reporter(wp)

A woman has died on Westminster Bridge in central London in what police are treating as a terrorist incident.

A police officer was also stabbed in the nearby Houses of Parliament by an attacker, who was shot by police.

The attacker struck several pedestrians as he drove a car across the bridge, before crashing it into railings.

A doctor at St Thomas' Hospital said a number of other people were hurt - some with "catastrophic" injuries.

A Downing Street source said Prime Minister Theresa May was safe.

Prime Minister Theresa May was seen being ushered into a silver Jaguar car as what sounded like gunfire rang out at Parliament during the incident.

MPs said they had heard three or four gunshots and staff inside Parliament were told to stay inside their offices.

Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs the "alleged assailant was shot by armed police".

Tom Peck, political editor for the Independent, tweeted: "There was a loud bang. Screams. Commotion. Then the sound of gunshots. Armed police everywhere."

Press Association political editor Andrew Woodcock witnessed the scenes unfolding from his office window overlooking New Palace Yard.

"I heard shouts and screams from outside and looked out, and there was a group of maybe 40 or 50 people running round the corner from Bridge Street into Parliament Square.

"They appeared to be running away from something.

"As the group arrived at the Carriage Gates, where policemen are posted at the security entrance, a man suddenly ran out of the crowd and into the yard.

"He seemed to be holding up a long kitchen knife.

"I heard what sounded like shots - I think about three of them - and then the next thing I knew there were two people lying on the ground and others running to help them.

"Armed police were quickly on the scene and I heard them shouting to people to get out of the yard."