New call for Ken's return

Ken Livingstone's return to the Labour fold looked certain today. An Evening Standard survey found overwhelming support among London MPs.

Labour members in the capital backed his readmission to full membership by a wide margin.

And even Home Secretary David Blunkett, a key Tony Blair ally, said the London Mayor is "very different to the man I dealt with 30 years ago".

The most significant London voice urging his return was Islington South MP Chris Smith, the former Cabinet minister who campaigned for official Labour candidate Frank Dobson against Mr Livingstone in 2000. Writing in the Standard he declares: "We should welcome him back."

Ealing North MP Stephen Pound praised Mr Livingstone's backing for Labour in the Brent East by-election, adding that "to be honest we will not do well without him" in next June's mayoral election. John Cruddas, MP for Dagenham, said: "His agenda is entirely consistent with what I would expect a Labour Mayor to be doing. We should see what arrangements can be made for bringing him back in."

Karen Buck, MP for Regent's Park & Kensington North, added: "We should consider an arrangement, provided there is a role for Nicky Gavron."

Former sports minister Kate Hoey, MP for Vauxhall, was the only MP contacted today who opposed readmitting Mr Livingstone.

Meanwhile, the Mayor himself today insisted that - during his visit to the capital next week - US President George Bush must not be shielded from expected mass protests.

At his weekly press conference, he said: "To create a situation in which perhaps 60,000 people remain unseen would require a shutdown of central London which is just not acceptable."