Analysis: Uneasy friendship on line as Livingstone and Banks prepare to fight for control of capital

The two are sarf, if not professional, Londoners. They also share a GLC past, a loathing of Peter Mandelson and a gift for one-liners.

Close friends as well as political allies for nearly 30 years, Ken Livingstone and Tony Banks certainly appear at first sight to have more that unites than divides them. But an electoral contest between Mr Livingstone, former leader of the GLC, and Mr Banks, its former chair, would soon expose the froideur that now exists between the two.

For Londoners, any fight between the pair for the London Mayor election in 2004 holds the tantalising prospect of their last hurrah before probable political retirement.

If Mr Livingstone fails to be readmitted to the Labour Party later this month, it looks likely that he will square up to his old pal from County Hall in a fierce battle that could leave even the Tory Steve Norris looking like a bit player.

In the red corner would be Red, sorry Citizen, Ken, salamander lover and all-round newt Labour candidate. In the blue corner (well, he is a Chelsea fan), would be Bruiser Banksy, pigeon fancier and all-round real Labour candidate. One is a lefty rebel turned First Citizen of the capital. The other is a Cockernee sparrer turned some-time minister of the Crown.

The pair do indeed go back a long, long way. Both of them served on Lambeth Council in the 1970s, but became closest during the left-wing heyday of the GLC in the 1980s. Soon after Mr Livingstone's infamous putsch to win the leadership of the GLC after Labour won power in 1981, he appointed Mr Banks as his chairman of a new arts and recreation committee.

Mr Banks displayed his own powers of political theatre by axing the Royal Festival Hall's champagne bar and winning a doubling of the arts budget to £20m by 1984. His allies say that while Mr Livingstone got the credit for the radical and popular boost for the arts, Mr Banks was responsible for it.

However, the first sign of real conflict between the two came in 1985, when Mr Banks joined nine other rebel councillors, including the now impeccably New Labour Paul Boateng, in fighting Tory government attempts to curb the GLC budget.

The GLC went to the wire in refusing to set a rate and produce a budget. Wary of losing another court battle, Mr Livingstone eventually agreed to set a rate. Mr Banks and Mr Boateng accused Mr Livingstone of "bottling out".

Both men fought hard against Mrs Thatcher's abolition of the GLC and continued on amicable terms afterwards. It was Mr Banks who was first elected to Parliament as MP for Newham North West in 1983, four years before his colleague won Brent East.

Ironically, it was the issue of a directly elected mayor for London that brought them into conflict again in 1990. When Mr Banks proposed the idea in a Commons motion, his old pal ridiculed it.

When Tony Blair won his landslide in 1997, Mr Banks finally seemed to step out of Mr Livingstone's shadow when he was chosen by the prime minister to be sports minister.

The recent controversy over Mr Livingstone's conduct at a late-night party underlined just how distant the two men had now become. "I don't want to talk about Ken's private life, but it would not be the first time that Ken has not told the complete truth," Mr Banks said as he led the Labour charge against the Mayor. If he does decide to stand, Londoners are in for a hell of a fight.

The rivals

Banks on Livingstone

When told that Mr Livingstone was to become a father for the first time at the age of 54: "I hope that after 2004 [the mayoral election], he will be able to spend more time with his family".

Livingstone on Banks

"Having a reputation as a comedian has hurt old Banksey and it's hurt me."