Ken defends his whisky drinking
Updated on 22 January 2008
The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has gone on the offensive after he was criticised in a Channel 4 documentary.
Mr Livingstone accused the programme makers of a hatchet job after it alleged that he'd been seen drinking alcohol at City Hall.
The mayor said he drank whisky during long meetings because he had bronchitis.
Medicinal purposes
He has described the documentary, Dispatches: The Court of Ken, a hatchet job after it questioned his conduct during his eight years as mayor.
Dispatches made allegations about Mr Livingstone's drinking habits, claiming it witnessed him swigging whisky throughout a two-hour public event at Ilford Town Hall.
The programme also alleged he'd been spotted in a lift with a glass of whisky before noon.
The mayor today decided a dry wit was the best defence against his critics and insisted he used alcohol for medicinal purposes.
