Ken Livingstone is like Margaret Thatcher, says Seb Coe

In an extract from his autobiography – published by the Times (£) – Lord Coe recalls his relationship with Ken Livingstone in the run up to the Olympic bid decision in 2005:

“My most unlikely ally in the lead-up to the 2005 International Olympic Committee vote in Singapore was Ken Livingstone, then Major of London. We got on incredibly well. He happily told me, “I hate sport. I’m doing this because I know I can get money out of government.” Bringing the Olympics to Stratford was simply the quickest way to regenerate East London. I used to say, “Look, Ken, it would be nice if, occasionally, you could just acknowledge that we are hosting a sporting event. The IOC gets a bit jumpy if all you are really saying is, ‘We’re going to use the brand as a crowbar to get money out of the government.’ ”

Ken was the ultimate pragmatist. There was a touch of Margaret Thatcher about him too. He once said, “Don’t tell me when things are going well. I want to hear from you either when you need something or if it’s going to damage me politically.””

That’s not a comparison that either Livingstone or Thatcher are going to relish…