There is something distinctly unsavoury about today’s news that the Labour Party wants to welcome Ken Livingstone back into its ranks with open arms. It’s nothing to do with politics - his, the party’s, or mine - it’s the whole air of commercialism that surrounds the transaction.

Three years ago, when he was expelled from the party, Tony Blair derided his decision to run for mayor of London against the official Labour candidate and, when he won:

The prime minister, Tony Blair, urged Mr Livingstone to work with the government, but added that his views about the left-wing MP - who he had said would be a “disaster” for London - had not changed. (Source: BBC News)

Now, though, seeing that he has done a good job in the capital and is likely to win a second term as mayor in next year’s elections, with the official Labour candidate predicted on Radio 4 tonight to come in a poor fourth place, the party wants him back. This is in spite of the fact that he is still seen by many to be far further to the left than the mainstream of the party and he continues to buck the party line by campaigning against George Bush and Britain’s involvement in the ‘War on Terror’.

So should he really be a member of the Labour Party at all? It seems all the party is interested in doing is buying in a dead-cert winner and branding it all its own. The position of Mayor of London will then have the credibility of a greyhound running in colours that advertise a local used car showroom.

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