Ken Livingstone being 'cared for by his family and friends' as he fights health condition

Livingstone was the first Mayor of London and served eight years from 2000-2008, first as an independent and then a Labour politician.

His family said: "In response to media enquiries the Livingstone family today announce that Ken Livingstone, ex-MP for Brent and former mayor of London, has been diagnosed with and is living with Alzheimer's disease.

"Although a previously prominent public figure, Ken is now retired and lives a private life.

"Ken is being well cared for by his family and friends and we ask you for your understanding and to respect his privacy and that of his family."

From the 1970s, Livingstone was a prominent figure in London politics but has since retreated from public life in recent years.

He stood as an independent to become the first mayor of London when the role was first created.

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During his second term he won as a Labour candidate after earning backing for standing up for London following the July 2005 suicide bombings and helped the capital win its bid to hold the 2012 Olympic Games.

In 2008, he lost out on the position to Boris Johnson and failed to return in 2012.

He quit the Labour Party in 2018 after a series of anti-Semitism allegations.

It followed a row over his claims that Adolf Hitler had backed Zionism in the 1930s, which had originally seen him suspended from the Party in 2016.

It comes after GB News presenter Alastair Stewart and journalist Fiona Phillips decided to share their own battles with the disease.

Kate Lee, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "We are really sorry to hear that Ken Livingstone is living with Alzheimer's disease. Our thoughts are with him and his family.

"We can see from the high profile individuals who have recently spoken about their dementia diagnosis, including Alastair Stewart and Fiona Phillips amongst others, how prevalent dementia is. One in three people born in the UK today will go on to develop this devastating condition.

"We're grateful to Ken's family for being open about his diagnosis which will really help increase public understanding. It's crucial we get people talking because a problem of this scale won't go away on its own."