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Ken Livingstone Shrugs Off Campaign Criticism, Says Boris 'Makes People Laugh'

The Huffington Post UK  |  By Posted: 17/04/2012 16:02 Updated: 17/04/2012 18:49

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Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone shrugged of criticisms of his campaign and questions about why Labour voters would not back him on Tuesday, saying people are attracted to his mayoral rival Boris "because he makes people laugh."

Ken Livingstone has shrugged off criticism of his campaign and questions over why Labour voters won’t back him, saying people are attracted to his rival Boris Johnson “because he makes people laugh”.

"Boris realised somewhere before he got into Eton that if he does this 'oh I will shake my hair and have a joke', he gets away with murder," the mayoral hopeful said on Tuesday.

"I find people on the doorstep who are naturally Labour and they say to me 'oh, he does make me laugh'.

"I didn't come into politics to make you laugh. If I wanted to make you laugh I would have been a bloody stand-up comedian. He makes them laugh."

He added: "I think we should have a compromise. Boris should let me be Mayor and I will support him to be the permanent host of Have I Got News For You. That would be each of us doing what we do best."

In response to criticism his campaign had "no life, no fun" and "no drive" from Labour MP Austin Mitchell, the candidate for London mayor said his fitness was "the best it has ever been."

"I'm sorry if Austin's not happy, but he hasn't seen me on the campaign trail.  I've lost a stone during this campaign, and I went for my annual medical last week and my doctor almost had an orgasm I was so fit," he said.

"My heart, liver, kidneys, the whole lot, has absolutely made it. I've been having an annual medical for about 10 years. This is the best it has ever been.

"If he thinks I'm tired, we'll have a contest to see who can do the most press-ups."

When joking about his age, the 66-year-old candidate said: "I'm doing what Cameron and Osborne want - I'm working longer."

He also claimed he did not believe in directly elected mayors, saying they led to "celebrity politics."

"I am still not persuaded on the Mayoral system because it is easy to avoid serious scrutiny, because the Mayor always gets the last word," he claimed.

"The directly-elected mayor system means you get stuck with a total loser for four years and there is nothing you can do about it."

Livingstone also revealed Boris Johnson was "white" with anger during their recent altercation in a lift where the Mayor allegedly called him a "f**king liar."

"That's a very dangerous point," he added. "If I had said something more to provoke him, he might have done something that would have led to a citizen's arrest."

And in a rare intervention into foreign policy, he backed the deportation of Abu Qatada as long as it was clear he would not be tortured, but said he was "appalled to see Osama bin Laden shot dead."

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Ken Livingstone has shrugged off criticism of his campaign and questions over why Labour voters won’t back him, saying people are attracted to his rival Boris Johnson “because he makes people laug...
Ken Livingstone has shrugged off criticism of his campaign and questions over why Labour voters won’t back him, saying people are attracted to his rival Boris Johnson “because he makes people laug...
 
 
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davidjscox
5 Fans
02:45 AM on 04/20/2012
Ken - its not because Boris makes us laugh, it's because you make us cry...
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Blindstu
131 Fans
07:51 PM on 04/18/2012
The point is.....there's nothing Livingston does or says would make anyone laugh...he does make the skin creep though.
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Electrastar
65 Fans
03:49 AM on 04/18/2012
Livingstone got away with murdering London when he was last in, he'll cause a massacre if he gets in again.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Ppenguinator
Life's too imprtant to be taken seriously.
211 Fans
 
08:51 PM on 04/17/2012
If either party had another candidate, they'd probably win. The current choice is between a posh idiot and a grumpy old man.
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delboy246
24 Fans
06:46 AM on 04/19/2012
I totally agree, Both candidates have a history of failures, Bendibuses , congestion charge .
London needs a tradional Mayoral figure. Especially this year with the olympics.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Ben Wilson
What's the story mourning Tories?
290 Fans
 
05:00 PM on 04/17/2012
It's true, Boris is bloody good on Have I got News for You. Every episode he's been in is a classic! It's no sale point for him being in politics however! But hark at Ken! Soz matey, this was a case where a joke was needed, not a defensive posture followed by a petty attack on Boris, void of politics. All this bad wind and not even a funny sound. Someone should tell him no one likes a whiner or a neo-con. Because Ken is a Straussian, just from the left.
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