So Ken, do these guests at that party look harassed?

Study these pictures carefully, for they are the images that nail the lie behind Ken Livingstone's refusal to apologise for his Nazi jibe.

For nearly a fortnight the Mayor has defended his actions by saying that reporter Oliver Finegold harassed him as he left the party at City Hall to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Chris Smith coming out as a gay MP.

In Mr Livingstone's version of events Mr Finegold pursued him along the pavement, "thrusting" his tape recorder at him and repeatedly "barking" the same question at him. "A member of the public behaving in this way could find themselves arrested for a breach of peace," said the Mayor.

These photographs were taken by the same photographer - Nigel Howard - on the same evening at the same party.

Chris Smith, Tessa Jowell, Nicky Gavron - do any of them look harassed? Are any of them being pursued by "barking" journalists?

After all, they are the very people Mr Livingstone was talking about when he described in the most sinister terms how the paper waited outside "photographing every guest as they left".

Or are they smiling happily, content to pose for the camera at the end of what was for them an entirely celebratory event?

Mr Smith, who is pictured with his partner Dorian Jabri, certainly was not harassed.

It would have been surprising if he was: just two days earlier he was a guest of honour at the Evening Standard Film Awards. When our photographer Nigel Howard stopped them to ask for a picture, Mr Jabri said they were happy to pose because "we like the Standard". Mr Smith chatted amiably for several moments with Mr Finegold, walking round the corner with him as they finished the conversation.

Or as Mr Livingstone would have put it, as Mr Finegold pursued him along the pavement.

Deputy Mayor Ms Gavron, daughter of Holocaust survivors, came out of the party with a big smile and stopped to have a short conversation with Mr Finegold. Later she was to issue a statement saying Mr Livingstone should apologise. Opera singer Susan Daniel said of our team: "They were delightful, charming and extremely well behaved and patient - and still had a sense of humour after two and a half hours in the freezing cold. I was full of admiration."

Stephen Twigg, the School Standards Minister who has followed in Mr Smith's footsteps as an openly gay MP, talked to Mr Finegold about how Mr Smith had been an inspiration to him, and was more than happy to have his picture taken.

Adam Boulton, Sky News's political editor, who was at the party with his partner Anji Hunter, Tony Blair's former right-hand woman, did not see any harassment taking place either. He said: "Our view was that it was a public event, where you would expect journalists to be taking pictures."

Culture Secretary Ms Jowell stands out because she made a reference to Mr Livingstone being doorstepped in an "aggressive way" - which is interesting, as Ms Jowell was nowhere to be seen when Mr Livingstone chose to liken Mr Finegold to a concentration camp guard.

This picture of a smiling Ms Jowell shows she at least was not being harassed. As she later said: "It is always a good idea if you lose your temper to apologise."

That, it seems, will never happen. But at least people can know the truth about what happened outside City Hall.