“I came into politics because I wished to change things. You can't do that by lying to people; you have to educate, and persuade, and carry them with you - and it's often a long haul.”

English politician

Kenneth Robert Livingstone is an English politician, active in public life across the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Born in 1945, he is known for leading the Greater London Council and later serving as the first mayor of London. He led the GLC from 1981 until it was abolished in 1986, then served as mayor of London from 2000 to 2008. He also represented Brent East in Parliament from 1987 to 2001. A former Labour Party member, he identified as a socialist.