Ken Livingstone under fire for branding MP with depression “disturbed”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Shadow Mental Health minister Luciana Berger have called on Ken Livingstone to apologise after he called Labour MP Kevan Jones “depressed and disturbed”.

However, Livingstone has already refused to retract his remarks, even after learning that Jones has spoken openly about his history of suffering from depression. When asked on radio to say sorry to Jones, Livingstone replied: “He needs to get over it.”

The former Mayor of London made the comments to the Daily Mirror, in reaction to Jones casting doubt over whether Livingstone should be working on Labour’s defence policy review, a role he was appointed to yesterday. Jones said “I’m not sure Ken knows anything about defence” and warned that his involvement will “damage our credibility”.

In reply, Livingstone said:

“I think he might need some psychiatric help. He’s obviously very depressed and disturbed.

“He should pop off and see his GP before he makes these offensive comments.”

Livingstone also said he had “never heard” of Jones, who has been a member of Labour’s frontbench defence team since 2008.

In 2012, Jones revealed that he has suffered from depression issues since 1996, during a Commons debate on mental health.

Speaking to James O’Brien on LBC Radio, Livingstone refused multiple opportunities to apologise to Jones, saying he would wait for an apology from the Shadow Defence minister first. “If he wants to apologise, that’s fine,” he said, adding “He was rude about me, I was rude back to him. He needs to get over it.”

Despite accepting that he would have not made the remarks had he known about Jones’ struggles with depression, he refused to say sorry. “Once he apologises for criticising my appointment, I might be nice to him,” he said. You can listen to the exchange at the bottom of the page.

Kevan Jones has said that “to use mental illness as a tool to attack someone you disagree with on a political issue I think is disgraceful”.

Jeremy Corbyn has called for Livingstone to apologise, and praised Jones’ “bravery” in speaking out. A spokesperson for the Labour leader said that “Ken should apologise to him [Jones] straight away.”

Luciana Berger, who sits in the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Minister for Mental Health, said the comments were “unacceptable” and that Livingstone should “apologise straight away”. Her sentiments were echoed by the Labour Campaign for Mental Health, who said that Livingstone’s insults were “completely unacceptable”, and fellow Shadow Cabinet minister Michael Dugher who branded Livingstone “stupid and ignorant”.

UPDATE: Ken has now issued an apology on Twitter, saying he apologises “unreservedly” to Kevan Jones, and says we should take seriously Jeremy Corbyn’s insistence on a “more civil politics”.

Kevan Jones, however, has called for Livingstone to make a wider apology to people suffering from mental health whom he insulted with his remarks.