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October 5, 2006updated 22 Nov 2022 9:18pm

Livingstone suspension quashed

By Press Gazette

 

One of the country's top judges announced this afternoon that he will quash the suspension from office imposed on London Mayor, Ken Livingstone after he likened a Jewish reporter from the London Evening Standard to a concentration camp guard.

However, at the end of a two day hearing Mr Justice Andrew Collins said he would give his full decisions and reasons later.

Livingstone has challenged the decision to suspend him from office for four weeks following the incident.

The Standards Board for England found that his comments were "unnecessarily insensitive and offensive", and sufficient to bring the office of the Mayor of London into disrepute.

Lawyers for Livingstone argued that finding was "wholly untenable". He appealed against both that finding and the decision to impose a four week suspension.

They asked the judge to quash both the suspension and the decision as to the nature of the comment.

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The complaint followed the incident at a party, at which Livingstone asked Evening Standard reporter Oliver Finegold if he was German war criminal and then said he was like a concentration camp guard.

James Maurici for Livingstone had argued that the Board's finding that what was said was of sufficient gravity to bring the office of Mayor into disrepute was "wholly untenable."

 

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