Ken Livingstone defends Hitler remarks again and attacks anti-Corbyn Labour MPs

Ken Livingstone has once again defended his comments about Adolf Hitler, this time while calling for the suspension of around a dozen Labour MPs. The former Mayor of London condemned the "hysteria" surrounding his comments made a year ago suggesting Hitler was a Zionist before he "went mad and ended up killing six million Jews".

The veteran Labour member, who is himself currently suspended from the party pending a review next week, defended the claims while saying Jeremy Corbyn should expel several MPs for showing disloyalty to the Labour leader.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I think the other thing that Jeremy should do is re-introduce automatic re-selection. It's really ridiculous that MPs in safe seats have a job for life.

"I'm particularly talking about Chuka Umunna [and] Wes Streeting – basically the same group of MPs who were screaming that I'd said Hitler was a Zionist and that I was anti-Semitic.

"The moment that issue went on hold, they were then blaming Jeremy for Britain voting to leave. Just endless criticism.

He added: "It's only about a dozen of them. The simple fact is they are consciously undermining Jeremy and damaging the Labour party."

In response Streeting, the MP for Illford North, tweeted that he "wouldn't be taking any lectures on loyalty from Ken Livingstone. I'm only surprised he hasn't been expelled yet".

Livingstone also said he intends to take Labour to court if he loses his upcoming appeal to be let back into the party.

The former GLC leader said: "I'm afraid we'll have to be off to a judicial review in the courts and the issue will be what was actually said and what is the truth, and the Labour Party has got no chance of winning a judicial review.

"I'm basically retired. I'm not seeking office. I haven't asked Jeremy or didn't ask Ed Miliband to send me to the House of Lords or anything like that.

"I'm a house husband, but I'm not having my political career defined at the end that I'm anti-Semitic."