Wissenswertes

His decision to run for the London Mayoral election of 2000 against the official Labour Party candidate, Frank Dobson, contravened Labour Party rules and his membership of the party was terminated. He had to run as an independent. On 5 May 2000, he was elected Mayor of London. His campaign for Mayor was supported by celebrities such as actors Neil Pearson and Harry Enfield and the pop singer Damon Albarn.

He was the Labour Member of Parliament for Brent East.

A big Doctor Who (1963) fan, he was interviewed for the 30th anniversary special Doctor Who: 30 Years in the Tardis (1993) and the 50th anniversary special Me, You and Doctor Who (2013).

In 2016, he caused an outrage and was suspended by the Labour Party after stating during a radio interview that Adolf Hitler supported Zionism.