Pugnacious London mayor to stand for third term

LONDON, May 3 (Reuters) London's pugnacious mayor, Ken Livingstone, will stand for a third term next year, the Labour Party in the British capital said today.

The main opposition parties have so far failed to name a candidate to stand against the popular, outspoken mayor, a one-time leftist maverick who has patched up his relationship with Prime Minister Tony Blair's ruling party.

Livingstone was elected to the newly created post of mayor as an independent in 2000 after Labour expelled him for running against Blair's chosen candidate. But he was readmitted to the party before winning a second term in 2004.

He has been popular for imposing a congestion charge for cars in the centre of the city, adding extra buses, helping to win the 2012 Olympics and leading the public response after suicide bombers killed 52 commuters in July 2005.

But he acknowledges an abrasive streak that occasionally causes trouble. He once described the US ambassador as a ''chiselling little crook'' for refusing to pay the congestion charge, and had to fight in court to avoid suspension for comparing a Jewish reporter to a concentration camp guard.

REUTERS SG PM1720