The London assembly has rebuked Ken Livingstone over his comments about appointments to the Metropolitan Police Authority.

At a press conference earlier this week following his re-election as mayor, Livingstone has suggested that Lord Harris should be re-appointed to the MPA as an independent member by home secretary David Blunkett.

Lord Harris, who had previously been the body's chairman, was defeated in last week's election and therefore lost his place on the board.

But at its first meeting since the elections, assembly members voted to express their opposition to such a move.

For the Conservatives, Bob Neill said any move to appoint the Labour peer to fill the "independent" post would be "wholly improper and quite outrageous".

He said it was a "disgraceful" attempt to manipulate the MPA for party advantage.

Neill said that Livingstone saw his statement as "a clever little party trick to play" but said the assembly should "send a shot across the mayor's bows".

The motion was also backed by the Liberal Democrats, with Lord Tope saying any such move "would be a highly party political appointment and that would be wrong".

For Labour, Jennette Arnold defended the comments, saying that if appointed by the home secretary Lord Harris had the "gravitas" to sit on the body.

She added that it was "quite appropriate" for the elected mayor of London to set out his views.

Green Party assembly member Darren Johnson said the home secretary should have no role in making appointments to the MPA, but the post should be filled by an individual not linked to any particular party.

The assembly then voted in favour of a motion to inform David Blunkett that the assembly was opposed to Livingstone's call for Lord Harris to be appointed to the MPA.

Assembly business

At the start of the plenary session, assembly members voted in favour of appointing Conservative AM Brian Coleman as chairman.

The post of deputy chairman is to be filled by Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Hamwee, who was chairman during the assembly's previous term.

Coleman said taking on the role was "a great honour" and expressed his hope for "constructive" relations between the party groups.

However, Labour's Len Duvall expressed some concern at the appointment and said he would be "monitoring" the impartiality of the new chairman.

And responding to the election of Coleman, Livingstone blamed the Lib Dems for backing "the leader of the hard right wing of the Tory Party".

"Coleman's wreckless anti-pedestrian policies in Barnet have been condemned not only by myself but by the major road safety groups" the mayor added.

"If the Liberal Democrat assembly members intended to form a coalition with the Tories they should have explained this to the voters during the election.

"I am sure that most Liberal Democrats voters would prefer a working agreement with myself, Labour and the Greens."