London mayor Ken Livingstone has renewed his calls for the Labour Party to readmit him following his suspension two years ago.

Writing in the Guardian on Thursday, he expressed his willingness to work within Labour's process for selecting a mayoral candidate for the 2004 election, and said he would be prepared to work constructively with the party.

"I would be delighted to participate in a fair and democratic selection process for Labour's London mayoral candidate. What is not acceptable is another rigged 'selection' designed to prevent the Labour Party membership from choosing the candidate of their choice," he wrote.

"Before the last mayoral election, voters were told that I would be a 'disaster' as London mayor. Labour party members should now be able to judge in a democratic selection procedure whether they believe this has occurred or whether they wish me to be their candidate."

Livingstone was suspended from the party for standing as an independent candidate against former health secretary Frank Dobson, after claiming that the selection process had been stacked against him.

"Millbank should let London Labour members make up their own minds on my record by readmitting me to the party and holding a fair and democratic selection procedure," he wrote.

Reports suggest that Labour are already considering their next candidate, with possible contenders including minister for London Nick Raynsford and former Northern Ireland secretary Peter Mandelson.

Livingstone, who was a member of the Labour Party for 31 years, described his suspension in March 2000 as "a trial separation", while deputy prime minister John Prescott has previously hinted that party rules could be changed to allow his readmittance.

But party chairman Charles Clarke has said he does not view it as likely that Livingstone will fight the next election as a Labour candidate.