Ken Livingstone has begun his bid to become Labour's official candidate for London mayor.

Currently the mayor, Livingstone is set to seal the nomination following his readmission to the party last week.

He is unopposed on the ballot paper that was sent to Labour members in the Capital on Monday and has the backing of several senior party figures.

Activists had selected former deputy mayor Nicky Gavron to stand for Labour in the June poll but she stood down at the end of last year in a bid to pave the way for Livingstone's return.

The former Brent East MP was suspended for five years by party chiefs in 2000 for standing against official candidate Frank Dobson in the first mayoral race.

However his exile was overturned last week after he satisfied a panel that he would abide by Labour rules and its policy platform.

The rules require that a simple majority of 51 per cent approve the candidature and there is little doubt that Livingstone will receive more than enough support despite lingering unhappiness over his previous disloyalty.

His campaign literature sought to put himself firmly in the traditions of Labour in London with an appeal to history.

"Almost everything that makes it tolerable to live in London has been achieved over more than 100 years of work by the Labour movement," he wrote.

"Housing, hospitals and schools, public transport and a police force that gave Londoners a sense of security - the fight for these services was led by the pioneers of the London party.

"This great London tradition is why I joined the party over 30 years ago. I believe it is something that still drives us again."

Livingstone also makes clear that the "Super Thursday" poll - for mayor, London assembly members, members of the European parliament and council seats - will be crucial for Labour throughout the country as well as the Capital.

"The elections to the assembly will be vital," he said.

"Without a sizeable Labour group our policies could be blocked by the Tories and Lib Dems.

"Labour also faces a key test in the European elections on the same day.

"Keeping Michael Howard's Tories out of office is going to require all our resources on June 10 but winning will be worth it."

In a recommendation to members the culture secretary Tessa Jowell praised Livingstone's "political maturity and willingness to move beyond the politics of gesture".

Her predecessor Chris Smith, another London Labour MP, said: "I didn't support Ken last time round and I still wish he hadn't stood against our party four years ago. But he's been a good mayor."

Conservative candidate Steve Norris moved on Monday to brand Livingstone as the candidate for central London alone.

He released research showing that the mayor had not visited 11 of the Capital's borough's in an official capacity during his first three years in office.

Of the 41 trips he had made outside of London's zone one area, 11 had been to campaign in last year's Brent East by-election, Norris claimed.

"It is astonishing that there are huge parts of London that Livingstone has never been to in the whole of his first three years," he said.

"The mayor of London has a duty to represent every Londoner. This report proves that Livingstone rarely ventures outside zone one. For most of London he is simply the invisible mayor."