Ken Livingstone, 72, hit the public eye first as councillor of the Greater London Council in 1973 and then as leader from 1981 to 1986.
He was a Labour MP for Brent East from 1987 to 2001 and served as Mayor of London for two terms from 2000 until 2008.
Today he lives in Cricklewood, London, with wife, Emma, children Tom and Mia, and Coco the dog.
How did your childhood affect your attitude to money?
I was born in Streatham, south London, in the post-war rationing period. We lived in a tiny flat above a shop and it was cold, with no central heating. Nothing was ever wasted and people scrimped to get by.
My dad was a window cleaner and my mum worked in the local bakery. They did the pools...