Sadiq Khan Apologies For Joking About Eric Pickles Dying

Sadiq Khan Apologies For Joking About Eric Pickles Dying
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Sadiq Khan, British Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and Shadow Lord Chancellor, delivers his speech during the final day of the Labour party conference in Brighton, east Sussex, south England, on September 25, 2013. AFP PHOTO / ADRIAN DENNIS (Photo credit should read ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)
ADRIAN DENNIS via Getty Images

Labour shadow cabinet minister Sadiq Khan has apologised to Conservative communities secretary Eric Pickles for joking about him dying.

The shadow justice secretary got himself into trouble after he tweeted a letter he had received from former Labour leader Neil Kinnock.

In the private letter, Kinnock had joked that Khan should persuade Pickles to run the marathon in the hope he would drop dead and trigger a by-election.

On Thursday Khan tweeted: |Profuse apologies to @EricPickles – I have spoken to him to apologise & am sorry. Inappropriate tweet."

Pickles responded: "Happy to accept @SadiqKhan apology for an inappropriate tweet. So far as I am concerned the matter is closed."

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In the letter Khan described as "witty", Kinnock had written: "Dear Sadiq. You are mad, crazy, daft, brave. So here's 26.2£ x 4 (1 for each adjective) to help you on your way. Get Pickles to go with so we have a helpful by-election.... Cheers, Neil."

Khan and Kinnock are not the first people to make a joke at the expense of Pickles' weight - his cabinet colleagues like to do it to.

16 Pictures of Eric Pickles
Budget 2014(01 of16)
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Communities Secretary Eric Pickles arrives at Downing Street for the Cabinet meeting ahead of today's Budget, London. (credit:PA)
Conservative Party Spring Forum(02 of16)
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Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles speaks at the Conservative Party's annual Spring Forum, in central London. (credit:PA)
Nelson Mandela memorial(03 of16)
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Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles arrives at Westminster Abbey in London for a memorial service for the former South Africa president Nelson Mandela. (credit:PA)
Eric Pickles flooding statement(04 of16)
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Communities secretary Eric Pickles, standing in for environment secretary Owen Paterson, issues a statement on the flooding crisis in the House of Commons, London. (credit:PA)
Pickles defends weekly bin pick-ups(05 of16)
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Embargoed to 0001 Saturday January 4 File photo dated 16/03/13 of Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles who has continued his assault on councils that try to end weekly rubbish collections by issuing a "bin bible" to put a stop to the "barmy" policy. (credit:PA)
VC commemorative paving stones(06 of16)
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Eric Pickles at the unveiling of a VC paving stone at the Army and Navy Club in Central London, which will commemorate recipients of the Victoria Cross during the First World War. (credit:PA)
Conservative Party Conference 2012(07 of16)
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Communities Secretary Eric Pickles addresses today's session of the Conservative Conference at Birmingham's International Convention Centre. (credit:PA)
Scheme to tackle problem families(08 of16)
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Communities Secretary Eric Pickles speaks at a reception at 10 Downing Street in London, during an announcement for the next steps being taken to help troubled families turn their lives around. (credit:PA)
Cabinet meeting(09 of16)
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Communities Secretary Eric Pickles arrives for a cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street, London. (credit:PA)
Conservative Party Annual Conference(10 of16)
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Communities Secretary Eric Pickles speaks during the opening session of the Annual Conservative Party Conference at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham. (credit:PA)
Pre-Budget Report 2009(11 of16)
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Conservative Party Chairman Eric Pickles launches a poster campaign highlighting Gordon Brown's debt crisis at the Conservative Party HQ in London. (credit:PA)
Tory Party Annual Conference(12 of16)
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Eric Pickles the Chairman of the Conservative Party gives his speech to the party's annual conference in Manchester today. (credit:PA)
Eric Pickles(13 of16)
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Brentwood and Ongar MP Eric Pickles addressing the Conservative Local Government Conference in London. Former BBC war correspondent and Tatton MP Martin Bell has announced that he is to stand as an independent in the up coming general election. * for the Tory-held seat of Brentwood and Ongar. His move follows an approach by some local Conservatives who have expressed concern that the constituency association has been infiltrated by some 200 members of the Penial Pentecostal Church. A number of ousted party members, who formed an Independent conservative group, subsequently contacted Mr Bell expressing concern about the influence wielded by the church in the party. Eric Pickles held the seat for the Tories at the last election with a majority of 9,690, making it the sixth safest Tory seat in the country. (credit:PA)
Elections Brentwood Eric Pickles(14 of16)
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Conservative Eric Pickles, standing for the seat of Brentwood and Ongar, arrives for the count at the Brentwood Centre, in Essex. (credit:PA)
Elections Brentwood Pickles & Bell(15 of16)
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Conservative Eric Pickles (left) offers dejected Independent Martin Bell (right) his hand, after Bell lost his seat to Pickles for Brentwood and Ongar, at the Brentwood Centre, in Essex, during the 2001 General Election. (credit:PA)
Elections Brentwood Eric Pickles(16 of16)
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Conservative Eric Pickles applauds his supporters at the Brentwood Centre, in Essex, as he retains his seat after beating independent Martin Bell for the Brentwood and Ongar seat, during the 2001 General Election. (credit:PA)