Ken Livingstone has asked the Attorney-General to investigate whether Dame Shirley Porter can be charged with an offence that could see the disgraced politician put behind bars.

The Mayor of London has written to Lord Goldsmith calling for an urgent inquiry into whether Dame Shirley, who masterminded the homes for votes scandal when she was leader of Westminster council in the 1980s, has committed perjury "or any other relevant offence".

The furore surrounding Dame Shirley, 76, who has lived in Israel for the last 12 years, was re-ignited this month after she returned to London and bought a £1.5 million flat in Mayfair.

In his letter to the Attorney-General Mr Livingstone wrote: "I would ask that there be an urgent investigation into whether Dame Shirley has committed perjury or any other offence at any stage in her court evidence and/or affidavits during the homes for votes scandal.

"In its judgement on the case of 19 December 1997, the Court of Appeal Criminal Division found that Ms Porter had lied in her evidence to them given under oath, just as she had lied to the auditor."

In 2001 Dame Shirley was ordered to pay her former council £22 million, the estimated cost of the homes for votes scheme to the Westminster taxpayer. Under the scheme Conservative voters were sold good quality council homes with Labour voters re-assigned to inferior accommodation in other councils.

Dame Shirley consistently refused to pay the £22 million and two years ago the council accepted a £12.3 million settlement after she claimed her fortune had dwindled to just £300,000.

The Mayor noted there had been a long held suspicion that Dame Shirley hid her real fortune.

Dame Shirley’s wealth, largely inherited from her father Sir Jack Cohen, founder of Tesco, was estimated at £69 million in 2003.

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