London Mayor Ken Livingstone has had one of the charges against him dropped in a disciplinary hearing over comments made to a Jewish reporter

BBC News:

But his lawyers failed in their attempt to have the case thrown out on the opening day of the hearing.

The mayor was caught on tape comparing the reporter to a "concentration camp guard", outside a party in February.

A case was brought against him by the Standards Board of England to decide if he breached a code of conduct.

Speaking after the decision, Mr Livingstone said: "We're still in a position where tomorrow I could be suspended from office or barred for five years.

"I don't want to say anything to upset them in the next 24 hours."

If the panel finds the mayor did bring his office into disrepute at the hearing to continue on Wednesday, the mayor could be told to apologise.

He could also be banned from office, suspended, censured or told to go for training.

The three-man panel threw out the disrespect charge after ruling Mr Livingstone had not been acting in his official capacity during the conversation.

Speaking earlier for the mayor, Tony Child said the case should be stopped because it did not pinpoint which part of his office's code of conduct was breached.

Tim Morshead, for the panel's ethical standards officer, said Mr Child's arguments were "technical in the extreme".

The case relates to a confrontation between Mr Livingstone and Evening Standard reporter Oliver Finegold outside a party for MP Chris Smith.

The mayor accused Mr Finegold of pursuing him and on tape he was heard asking the reporter if he was a "German war criminal".

Mr Finegold replied: "No, I'm Jewish, I wasn't a German war criminal. I'm quite offended by that."

The mayor then says: "Ah right, well you might be, but actually you are just like a concentration camp guard, you are just doing it because you are paid to, aren't you?"

He later refused to apologise to the reporter, saying he was the victim of a 24-year hate campaign by Associated Newspapers, publishers of the Evening Standard and the Daily Mail.

But he said his words were not intended to cause such offence.

The case is being heard at the Aeonian Centre in central London.

So much for free speech in Britain.

Livingstone cleared of first 'Jewish slur' charge