Astonishingly Labour have not expelled Ken, they have merely suspended him for another year. Ken tells Guido his suspension only applies to him holding office and he remains a full member of the Labour Party. Oh dear…

Ken says: “I apologise for the offence caused by those Labour MPs who lied and said I said Hitler was a Zionist” and tells ITV: “I don’t think anyone expected this result”.

Reaction:

Campaign Against Anti-Semitism: “This surely represents the death throes of the Labour Party’s long relationship with the Jewish community.”

Holocaust Educational Trust: “This verdict is a slap on the wrist for a serial offender. That a mainstream political party would consider these views to be welcome within their ranks simply demonstrates that antisemitism is not taken as seriously as all other forms of racism and prejudice.”

Jewish Labour Movement: “This is a betrayal of our Party’s values. One year suspension allows for a revolving door for repeat offenders.”

Labour Friends of Israel: “Ken Livingstone has made Nazi comparisons, repeatedly misrepresented the meaning of Zionism and appears to take a twisted delight in offending Jews. It is disgraceful that Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party seems to have decided – by allowing him to remain a member  – that such behaviour is acceptable. Coupled with its failure to tackle serious allegations of antisemitism at Oxford University Labour Club and last year’s discredited Chakrabarti report, this decision means that Labour’s condemnations of antisemitism will ring even more hollow than they previously did.”

CST: “This decision strengthens real anti-Semites and their fellow travellers, and will leave the Jewish community less confident than ever that Labour is serious in dealing with anti-Semitism.”

Luciana Berger: “A new low for my party this evening. Appalling decision. Why is antisemitism being treated differently from any other form of racism?”

Wes Streeting: “So much for zero tolerance approach to antisemitism – this is a terrible betrayal of Jewish Labour supporters and our values.”

Michael Dugher: “Is the party really saying it knows more about antisemitism than the Chief Rabbi?” 

Tulip Siddiq: “Absolutely ridiculous. Why has this man not been expelled?!”

John Woodcock: “This pathetic Livingstone sentence is an important moment Labour members: do we stand for decency against this or are we part of the decay?”

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid: “Astonishing and wrong that Ken Livingstone has not been expelled. His repeated and offensive comments are totally and utterly unacceptable.”

Shami Chakrabarti: “Labour is the party of both equality and natural justice.”