Ken Livingstone reacted angrily when challenged over his campaign adverts labelling Boris Johnson a pickpocket for the London mayor's tube fare hikes in an interview with BBC London on Wednesday morning.
After Vanessa Feltz quoted Telegraph journalist Andrew Gilligan claiming that prices had only risen by 0.9% more under Boris Johnson than his rival Ken, the Labour mayoral candidate objected angrily.
"You shouldn't be quoting Andrew Gilligan.. Why don't you look for someone that is more objective," he said.
Livingstone accused Gilligan of causing the chain of events which led to the suicide of government scientist Dr David Kelly.
"Andrew Gilligan was forced out of the BBC once it was revealed that he'd actually embroidered what he'd been told by David Kelly. He set in train the events and the uproar that led to David Kelly taking his own life," he said on Wednesday.
"David Kelly is dead, he's only dead because of that situation."
Kelly had an off-the-record conversation with Gilligan when he worked at the Today programme, which led to the journalist producing a report alleging the government had 'sexed up' the dossier making the case to go to war in Iraq. Kelly killed himself a month after being revealed as one of Gilligan's sources.
Gilligan, in an angry blog response wrote: "It is, of course, an occupational hazard of my job to be attacked as a liar by liars. But when is Ken going to learn that lies aren’t working for him any more?"
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