Oona punches back: questions Ken's "leadership"

Oona King has answered the bruising attack launched by Ken Livingstone henchman Len Duvall by sending out an urgent "clarification" to Londoners refuting claims that she supports means testing for the Freedom Pass, which grants free travel to the elderly and disabled people.

Questioning the motives of Ken's campaign the outraged Ms King has this to say:

I support - and I will defend with every breath in my body - the Freedom Pass. Pensioners and the disabled need and deserve free travel around London.
I wrote this in my transport manifesto which I published two weeks ago.
I know our Party and I know how tired members are of artificially created dividing lines designed to discredit or embarass others - that's truly old politics - but we're especially tired of them when it its our own comrades in the firing line and fellow travellers firing the shots!
If campaigns have to resort to making up stories about the other candidates' beliefs and motives then that's a sad day indeed for our movement and quite frankly says something about the type of leadership on offer.
I repeat my pledge to you, in person, that I will defend the Freedom Pass: no cuts, no reductions, no dilutions.
 
In response Big Len sniffily retorts, in an email sent to Labour councillors:
 
I welcome the fact that Oona now wishes to change the position she took in these hustings. But London Labour cannot afford to have ambiguity on such important issues when they come up.
 
Blimey. And the actual election isn't even until 2012.