Ken Livingstone has apologised for suggesting a shadow minister with depression needed psychiatric help.
Mr Livingstone, who was Mayor of London for eight years, had repeatedly refused to say sorry to Kevan Jones after calling him “disturbed”.
The row broke out after Mr Jones claimed nuclear opponent Mr Livingstone was not sufficiently clued up on defence to co-chair Labour’s review with Maria Eagle.
Mr Livingstone retaliated, telling the Mirror the MP for North Durham should “pop off” and see a GP because he was “obviously very depressed and disturbed”.
Mr Jones spoke openly about his mental health problems in Parliament three years ago.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday morning called on Mr Livingstone – newly appointed to a post in the shadow cabinet – to apologise.
“He has worked with Kevan in the past on this issue,” said a spokesman, “and is impressed by his bravery in speaking out on his own mental health issues.
“Ken should apologise to him straight away.”
Despite refusing to apologise during interviews on Tuesday morning, Mr Livingstone later tweeted his regret.
“I unreservedly apologise to Kevan Jones for my comments,” he wrote. “They should not have been made at all, let alone in this context.
“I also make this apology because Jeremy is right to insist on a more civil politics and as a party we should take this seriously.”
Mr Jones, 51, appeared unimpressed, tweeting: “What about apologising to other thousands of people he insulted?”
He told the BBC he had not known about Mr Jones’s mental health problems.
“I grew up in South London where if someone’s rude to you, you are rude back,” he added.
