Ken Livingstone to launch legal challenge if he loses Labour hearing over Hitler comments

He said he had heard from “rabbis” and other Jews who had told him his comments were correct and supported his case.

Referring to next week’s disciplinary hearing, Mr Livingstone, a close ally of party leader Jeremy Corbyn, said: “I'm afraid we'll have to be off to a judicial review in the courts and in the court the issue will be, what was actually said and what is the truth, and the Labour Party has got no chance of winning a judicial review.

“I'm basically retired.  I'm not seeking office.  I haven't asked Jeremy or didn't ask Ed Miliband to send me to the House of Lords or anything like that. I'm a house husband, but I'm not having my political career defined at the end that I'm antisemitic.”

Mr Livingstone also called for Labour to suspend MPs who were “disloyal” to Mr Corbyn, and highlighted Wes Streeting and Chuka Umunna as two figures who had undermined his leadership of the party.

“Those that have been most over the top I think should be suspended. I think the other thing that Jeremy should do is re-introduce automatic re-selection. It's really ridiculous that MPs in safe seats have a job for life,” he said.

“I'm particularly talking about Chuka Umunna, Wes Streeting - basically it's the same group of MPs who were screaming that I'd said Hitler was a Zionist and I was antisemitic. The moment that issue went on hold, they were then blaming Jeremy for Britain voting to leave. Just endless criticism.  It’s only about a dozen of them. 

“The simple fact is they are consciously undermining Jeremy and damaging the Labour Party.”