Livingstone 'was involved in drunken fracas'

Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, is facing allegations that he was involved in a drunken fracas in which a man fell 15ft over a wall and suffered serious head, back and hip injuries.

According to the London Evening Standard, Mr Livingstone became involved in a argument after discovering his pregnant girlfriend smoking at a party and "frogmarching" her outside. Robin Hedges, 35, was hurt after Mr Livingstone returned and became involved in a scuffle with two men.

The alleged incident is said to have happened on 19 May at a party in Tufnell Park, north London, to celebrate the 40th birthday of Kate Beal, the sister of Mr Livingstone's girlfriend, Emma. According to the Standard, an ambulance was called at 1.30am. Emergency controllers also dispatched police, logging the incident as a "fight in progress".

Stuart Williams, who lives next door, was woken by raised voices. He told the newspaper: "Ken was slurring. He was yelling, 'She's trying to f******* give up smoking, you can't be f****** smoking,' and I thought he was going berserk." According to witnesses, Mr Livingstone returned five minutes after escorting Ms Beal from the party and shouted: "She's trying to stop smoking and now you're giving her that shit."

At this point, Mr Hedges, a friend of Emma Beal, and Mike Furniss, her former boyfriend, are said to have tried to calm the situation. Mr Williams said: "I saw them come back up the stairs, still arguing, and on to the porch again. That's when it got heavy ... I saw three people, Ken and two other guys. They started grabbing each other, wrestling. As far as I could tell, Livingstone was in the middle. There was a struggle ... He was in the middle of the two of them and they seemed to be holding him. I saw him hit out with his arm ... and I saw the guy go over the wall. I don't think Ken meant him to go over. I think he just wanted him to get off."

Mr Hedges fell over a low wall and hit the basement floor of the house next door. He was taken to hospital unconscious and in a neck brace.

Mr Hedges said in a statement: "I attended a party, during which I injured myself. It is false to suggest that anyone else was involved. It was an accident." The Mayor's office refused to comment.