THE Labour Party was forced to make a humiliating apology to an 82-year-old delegate last night after he was forcibly ejected from its conference for heckling Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary.

Walter Wolfgang, who has been a party member for 57 years, had shouted “nonsense” to Mr Straw as he defended the war in Iraq.

Moments later the pensioner was bundled out of the conference arena by security guards, who also turned on another delegate who had protested at the treatment of Mr Wolfgang.

Police used powers under the Terrorism Act to stop the second delegate getting back into the conference venue. After embarrassing television pictures showing the dual eviction were broadcast, the Labour Party admitted that the way that Mr Wolfgang had been treated was “inappropriate” and that it would be apologising to him.

A party spokesman said: “The events leading up to the incident will be examined by the party.”

Mr Wolfgang is a member of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in London. He escaped Nazi Germany in 1937, is a former vice-chairman of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and is a member of the Stop the War Coalition.

He shouted “nonsense” when Mr Straw said that Britain’s intervention in Kosovo had been to protect Muslims. When Mr Straw said Britain that was in Iraq solely to build a democratic state and remained only with Iraqi consent, Mr Wolfgang shouted: “That’s a lie.”

Mr Wolfgang, said afterwards: “They were trying to pull me out. I refused to let them.”

Some delegates sitting near him cried “Shame” and “Leave him alone” as he was pulled, protesting, from his seat.

Another delegate, Steve Forrest, chairman of Erith Thamesmead Labour party, who protested at his treatment, was bundled out more forcefully after telling stewards: “You must be joking.”

Alice Mahon, the former MP for Halifax and a prominent anti-war campaigner, said she saw several security guards “dive” on Mr Wolfgang. She said: “I think the security people were really over the top.”

The stewards’ response triggered complaints from delegates, some of whom were already angry at being denied a full debate on the role of British troops in Iraq. Carol Hayton, a delegate from Mole Valley, told the conference: “We are very concerned about the way in which a gentleman of over 80 was manhandled.”

Ian McCartney, the Labour Party chairman, said he would be willing to apologise in person to Mr Wolfgang but party officials have refused to say whether his conference pass will be reinstated.

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