Ian Murray calls for Ken Livingstone to resign

Shadow Scottish Secretary Ian Murray has called on Ken Livingstone to quit his post as co-chair of Labour’s defence review in the wake of his comments on the 7/7 bombings.

The call comes after Livingstone appeared to blame Tony Blair and the war on Iraq for the deaths of 52 people during the terrorist attack on the streets of London in 2005 during a television appearance last week. “They did those killings because of our invasion of Iraq. They gave their lives," he told the Question Time audience.

Edinburgh MP Murray told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire show the former mayor of London was an “apologist for terrorism” and should step down from his current post.

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“It’s deeply regretful that we’re going through a huge, sensible and adult debate at the moment about the Middle East, about Syria, about Iraq, about terrorism – there are people on the streets of Britain today fearful about what may happen... and for a senior respected politician to go onto Question Time and say such dreadful, shameful things I think is unacceptable,” he said.

Livingstone, a key ally of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, said he would not apologise.

“Don’t believe the interpretation of this you see in the papers... I denounced what they did at the time, I denounce it today but we have to recognise they didn’t do it without a political reason,” he said.

Murray has also said he will oppose air strikes in Syria in a vote in the Commons tomorrow.

"The Prime Minister has got a lot of work to do and I just don't think the case has been made that this will make any difference at all to the position in Syria," he said.

Corbyn gave his MPs a free vote on the issue yesterday, a move which critics have said hands David Cameron a victory because of the number of Labour MPs likely to vote to approve military action. Today the Labour leader used an appearance on the Jeremy Vine radio show to appeal to them.

"More and more Labour MPs are getting more and more sceptical of what the Government is suggesting," he said.

MPs should be aware of what their constituents think and of the anti-war motion passed at party conference, he warned. "I appeal to them to think again. Think of the complications and implications. And please cast your vote against," he said.