The 82-year-old activist evicted from the Labour conference for heckling Jack Straw over Iraq returned to the scene of the crime today with his conference pass restored, a personal apology received from the Prime Minister, and the cheers of his supporters still ringing in his ears.

Less than 24 hours after being bundled out of the auditorium and left shivering on Brighton promenade in a thin blue cotton suit, Walter Wolfgang was escorted back into conference at around 11am by party officials and a Labour colleague who was thrown out alongside him.

Waiting for him just inside the conference security cordon – to the bemusement of delegates arriving for the final day of debate - were around 100 photographers, TV crews, and press and radio reporters.

The frail Mr Wolfgang, a Jew who fled Nazi Germany in 1937 and joined the Labour Party in the late 1940s, did not disappoint. "When mistakes are made the important thing is that they are rectified," he said in a low but firm voice.

"We made a mistake by invading Iraq by force - we should recognise that. We would make another mistake if we had another round of nuclear weapons.

"Nevertheless small mistakes also have to be rectified and the rectification of a small mistake is to have given us our credentials back."

Mr Wolfgang received an apology from Tony Blair over the airwaves this morning, the Prime Minister blaming "over-zealous" security stewards for his mistreatment. The OAP was even briefly detained by police under anti-terror laws when he tried to get back into the conference yesterday.

Steve Forrest, a constituency party chairman from south-east London ejected for intervening with stewards, was also allowed back this morning and said both had received a "full and unequivocal apology" from the party.

Mr Wolfgang, vice-chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said: "The trouble is that most stewards from the Labour Party are volunteers out of the goodness of their heart; they really are the cream of the Labour Party.

"But there have been people who have been irresponsible enough to hire heavies. You cannot stifle debate by hiring heavies.

"A party has to be open, it has to be open to the world and it also has to discuss international issues rather than ignoring them. If you ignore international issues they will not go away."

His declaration made, Mr Wolfgang was escorted into the conference centre through a media scrum determined to capture the moment. "Move out of the way," a police officer shouted at journalists. "The stewards have a job to do."

"Not again," shouted one delegate.

At 11.09am, Mr Wolfgang made his way back into the auditorium and took his seat at the top of the balcony, his arrival provoking rolling applause from a half-empty hall and interrupting the flow of Leonora Thompson, leader of Ealing Council, in a debate on "creating sustainable communities".

The previous day, Mr Wolfgang had been an anonymous conference visitor, known only to those in the Stop the War movement and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Last night he was the guest of honour at a triumphant rally held by Labour CND.

By this morning the octogenarian had been awarded the honour of his own entry on Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia.

A posse of photographers rushed in behind him as he took his place in the conference, their flashes working overtime to capture the return of the unrepentant prodigal son. The stewards, understandably enough, kept their distance.

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