September 20th 2023.
The family of former London mayor Ken Livingstone has announced that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. They said that he is being "well cared for by his family and friends" as he lives a "private life" in retirement.
Ken Livingstone was a major figure in London politics for more than four decades from the 1970s. He was a Labour MP for Brent and nicknamed "Red Ken" for his harsh criticism of Margaret Thatcher's Tory government and his opposition to Tony Blair's Labour government.
Mr Livingstone served as mayor of London from May 2000 until he lost to Boris Johnson in 2008. During his tenure he won praise for standing up for London after the July 2005 suicide bombings and for helping to bring the 2012 Olympic Games to the capital.
The Alzheimer's Society praised Mr Livingstone's family for "being open about his diagnosis". Chief executive Kate Lee 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."
Ms Lee also noted that it is important to talk about the disease because "a problem of this scale won't go away on its own." She said: "Receiving a diagnosis can be daunting, but we believe it's better to know. Our website has plenty of resources, including a downloadable symptoms checklist that people can take with them to their GP. Please get in touch with Alzheimer's Society if you need support."
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