Ken Livingstone has only appeared on LBC’s Saturday show as a guest in the wake of the antisemitism row [Image: Global/PA].

This Writer heard last night (May 27) that Ken Livingstone’s contract was not being renewed by LBC radio – from someone who, rather hysterically, insisted it was because he kept talking about Hitler and anti-Semitism.

In fact, it turns out that the show he has hosted with Tory David Mellor since 2008 is being dropped and Mellor is out too. What did he say about Hitler?

Livingstone had appeared on the show only as a guest since the row over anti-Semitism erupted. He had been there specifically to answer questions about his part in it, so he couldn’t have helped mentioning Hitler and anti-Semitism, as my informant of last night must have known.

But the story got twisted anyway.

The Guardian, which provided the facts below, isn’t averse to twisting them either. The story goes on to claim “Labour suspended Livingstone in late April for ‘bringing the party into disrepute’ with its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, saying it was ‘not tolerating antisemitism in any form whatsoever’.”

The first part of that sentence is inaccurate. Livingstone was suspended on suspicion of bringing Labour into disrepute. His case will be discussed in an inquiry run by the former head of Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti. No guilty has been proved.

So Chris Johnston of the Graun twisted the story. He should be reminded: Here in the UK, people are innocent until proven guilty.

Mr Corbyn’s words were spoken in general terms and were not specific to Livingstone. The two have been friends for a very long time.

Ken Livingstone’s Saturday morning radio show has been dropped by LBC in the wake of the controversy surrounding his recent claim that Adolf Hitler had supported Zionism.

The former mayor of London, who had presented the politics programme with David Mellor for the past eight years, denied that his comments had led to the radio station’s decision not to renew his contract this year.

LBC, which is owned by Global Radio, the UK’s largest commercial radio operator, has also decided not to renew Mellor’s contract.

Livingstone told the Guardian that LBC informed him in early April he could not present the two-hour Saturday morning show during the EU referendum campaign because of Ofcom impartiality rules.

Source: Ken Livingstone radio show is dropped by LBC | Politics | The Guardian

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