Former London Mayor Ken Livingstone says he’s not surprised by the Labour Party split, saying he’s “glad to see them go.” He was also quick to dismiss accusations of systemic racism within Labour.
Livingstone explained that the split goes right back to New Labour, saying “these are the people who date back to the time of Tony Blair when he took over the party and he blocked genuine Labour and socialist people from being parliamentary candidates.” He said the Blair-led shift saw the parliamentary structure no longer reflecting Labour and its socialist values, instead favoring neoliberal ones.