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Stop digging, Ken. Here is his non-apology to Kevan Jones on Wato:
“I had no idea that he had any mental health issues, otherwise I would never have said it. If he’s upset I’m sorry, but he can’t blame me. He was the one who came out and made this attack on me… I grew up in south London, if someone was rude to someone, you were rude back. I didn’t go to Eton with all that smarmy, marmy education.”
If he had “no idea” about Jones’ mental health battle, why did he specifically say: “He’s obviously very depressed”? Quite a coincidence, eh…
UPDATE: Twenty minutes later, Ken strikes a very different tone:
1/2 I unreservedly apologise to Kevan Jones for my comments. They should not have been made at all, let alone in this context.
— Ken Livingstone (@ken4london) November 18, 2015
2/2 I also make this apology because Jeremy is right to insist on a more civil politics and as a party we should take this seriously
— Ken Livingstone (@ken4london) November 18, 2015
Pretty obvious that he doesn’t mean it…
UPDATE II: Kevan Jones responds to Guido:
@GuidoFawkes and what about apologising to other thousands of people he insulted.
— Kevan Jones MP (@KevanJonesMP) November 18, 2015
UPDATE III: Mental health charity Mind tell Guido:
“It’s as unacceptable to trade insults on the basis of someone’s mental health experiences as it would be on the basis of their race, gender or sexuality. Kevan has been widely praised for opening up about his experiences and helping to make big strides against stigma, particularly in parliamentary circles. We know that many people still feel uncomfortable talking about their mental health problems, and we would encourage everyone to consider the impact of using mental health related language that could fuel misunderstanding and stigma.”
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