Labour's London body votes to readmit Livingstone

The London Labour Party's ruling body has voted to readmit Ken Livingstone as a member just two weeks before the national party makes its decision on his future.

The Regional Board of the Greater London Labour Party told Charles Clarke, the party chairman, that it wants the Mayor of London reinstated.

The vote, by nine votes to three, came as Nicky Gavron, the Deputy Mayor of London, became the latest high-profile party figure in the capital to call for Mr Livingstone's return.

With a majority of London Labour MPs and members of the London Assembly also giving their backing to Mr Livingstone, the party faces a serious split if the National Executive Committee decides not to readmit him on 23 July.

Mr Clarke also canvassed opinion on a compromise plan which would allow Labour to support Mr Livingstone without having him as its candidate in the mayoral elections in 2004.

Under the plan, Labour supporters would be urged to use their first preference vote for the Labour candidate but use their second preference for Mr Livingstone. With second preferences crucial in a race against a popular figure such as Steve Norris, the plan could ensure the Tories do not win.

John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, and Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, are opposed to his early return from his five-year expulsion. Mr Prescott said at the weekend that Mr Livingstone had told the NEC "a tissue of lies".

But the Mayor told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "John Prescott represents Hull. It does seem to me it is a great mistake when people from all the rest of the country are telling the London Labour Party who they can or cannot have as their candidate. That's how we got into this mess."

Mr Livingstone was ejected from the party when he successfully stood as an independent against Labour's official candidate Frank Dobson. He said he would prefer to stand as the party's official candidate at the next election, but would stand as an independent again if he was not readmitted.