THE leader of a North Yorkshire council has defended his decision to go to a fancy dress party dressed as Adolf Hitler.

Mike Gardner, the leader of Harrogate Borough Council, was pictured giving a Nazi salute at a fancy dress party.

He said he had done nothing wrong and said he had checked with the organisers of the party to make sure he was not offending anybody.

He said he was attending a private party last May and the theme was "figures from the year you were born".

He said: "I was born in the war. My father was a pilot in the RAF and my mother worked in a munitions factory. My family were deeply affected. Hitler was an iconic figure."

Mr Gardner added: "If a person can't have a bit of fun. I have not offended anybody. This was a private party.

"A lot of people present were members of the Armed forces or joined the MoD since. I carefully checked with them not to offend them. I didn't offend them.

"I have not done anything wrong. I haven't broken any code of conduct."

A spokesman for the Conservative Party said he had been suspended pending an investigation into his conduct.

Mr Gardner responded: "They haven't told me."

The images were taken from a Facebook page, which Mr Gardner said was politically motivated.

He said a political enemy was "trying to stab me in the back" by releasing the pictures many months after the event.

He added: "It is political. Somebody within our group who wants to upstage me, wants my position."

No-one from the council was available for comment last night.