The State of London

Ken Livingstone is the personification of the politics of London. Born in Lambeth and educated at Tulse Hill Comprehensive, he was leader of the GLC from 1981 until its demise in 1985, and entered Parliament in 1987 as Labour MP for Brent East. Throughout his long and highly individual political career he has remained one of the most popular and high-profile national figures, and has now set his sights on becoming the first elected Mayor of London in May 2000 - a position which New Labour has seemed committed to denying him. (The inside story of the selection process in October/November 1999 will be told in the book.) THE STATE OF LONDON is Ken's own account of his personal experience of the city interwoven with his manifesto for how it should be governed. Part autobiography and part polemic - incorporating his views on key policy areas such as transport, poverty, housing, policing and tourism - the book will distil his lifetime's passion for the city of his birth and his personal vision for its future.