George Galloway has accused the Labour leadership of twisting facts in an attempt to have him thrown out of the party as a punishment for his opposition to the Iraq war.
The Glasgow Kelvin MP appeared before Labour's National Constitutional Committee to face accusations that he brought the party into disrepute by urging British troops not to fight in Iraq and offering support to anti-war opponents of Labour candidates in local elections.
The hearing was adjourned after taking evidence against Mr Galloway from Labour's deputy general secretary Chris Lennie and will hear the MP's defence on Thursday.
Mr Galloway was in defiant mood as he emerged from the hearing, flanked by legal representatives and supporters from his Constituency Labour Party.
He said: "While I have no complaints at all about the conduct of the tribunal, the evidence of the Labour Party's only witness - its own deputy general secretary - was a sad, degrading and demeaning affair.
"I felt sadness that the Labour leadership had put up this man to try to make a silk purse out of the ugliest sow's ear I have ever come across in 30 years in politics.
"Every fact that could be twisted, every motive that could be distorted or invented, every twist of words that could be perpetrated for hour after hour was tried by the Labour Party deputy general secretary.
"This show trial is about my views, honestly held and honestly expressed, which were as it happens the views of millions.
"That six months later I should still be suspended and we should be expending so much time and so much money on such an exercise when the Labour Party is in so much trouble in the country beggars belief."