Ken Livingstone said that sending Jeffrey Archer to prison was a waste of time which allowed him to "sit there and write two more books".
The Labour mayoral candidate thinks that people convicted of similar crimes should instead be given million-pound fines. Mr Livingstone made the comments as he likened himself to Margaret Thatcher's enforcer Norman Tebbit when it came to tough sentences for murderers and rapists.
The former mayor was speaking at Dagenham and Redbridge football club at one of his regular "Tell Ken" meetings. Asked for his views on crime he said: "I grew up thinking crime doesn't pay."
He added that Lord Archer's four-year sentence for lying under oath about prostitute Monica Coghlan was a waste of time. "My view is we send a lot of people to prison we shouldn't. Do you remember when Jeffrey Archer, the novelist, got sent to prison for lying about sleeping with a prostitute? All he did was sit there and write two more books. What we should have done to Jeffrey Archer is fine him £1 million or £2 million, something that would really hurt him."
He added: "If someone commits murder or rape they should stay in prison until you can be sure they are not going commit more crime. I'm afraid that puts me on the Norman Tebbit side of this debate." Mr Livingstone also said he would restore jobs cut from the police.
