Ken Livingstone asks London Assembly member to apologise for likening social rented accommodation to β€œhousing for riff-raff”

Ken Livingstone has called on London Assembly member Tony Arbour to apologise for likening social rented accommodation to β€œhousing for riff-raff”.

London’s mayor said Arbour should retract his comments, made at a Richmond Council meeting on 27 September, and reverse his longstanding opposition to the government target for half of new homes in London to be affordable.

Arbour’s reportedly said: β€œI do not believe, for one moment, that if a private owner came along and said, I do not want to have any riff-raff on this site, but I will provide the housing for the riff raff somewhere else in the borough, this would be acceptable.”

Ken Livingstone, London mayor

Livingstone said: β€œIt is quite clear that his remarks were unacceptable and his desperate attempts to explain them away after the event do not hold water.

β€œMore importantly he should stop trying to block proposals for more affordable homes to be built in Richmond and end his opposition to my London Plan target that 50% of all new homes should be affordable.”

Livingstone said that his polls show 83% of Londoners back his target.

β€œIn his choice of language and his policy approach Tony Arbour is out of step,” he said

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