LONDON, Sept. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair was forced to make a "humiliating apology" on Thursday to a 82-year-old activist expelled from Labour's conference for heckling over the Iraqi war.

    The man, Walter Wolfgang, a party member for 57 years, was bundled out of Labour Party's annual conference in England's southcoast city of Brighton by stewards after shouting "nonsense" as Foreign Secretary Jack Straw defended Britain's role in the Iraq war.

    Blair was quoted by the Independent newspaper on Thursday as saying: "I'm really sorry about it.

    "I wasn't in the conference center at the time myself. It is difficult, the stewards are volunteers, they are not quite sure how to deal with a situation like that and, of course, you should deal with it differently and I'm really sorry for it and it must have been upsetting for him," said Blair.

    Blair later insisted that free speech was not being stifled at the Labour conference, even though there was no formal debate on the Iraq war at this week's gathering in Brighton.

    When asked why the 82-year-old had apparently been briefly arrested under the Terrorism Act after he was manhandled out of the conference center, Blair said: "My understanding is that his delegate's credentials showed he had been ejected before and he had to wait while that was checked out."

    Liberal Democrat President Simon Hughes said the incident betrayed a streak of authoritarianism in the Labour Party.

    "Here's a conference with the Foreign Secretary tackling some of the most controversial issues of the day and people aren't allowed to stay in their seats if they shout any protest, even restrained protest," said Hughes.

    The apparently heavy-handed tactics -- another delegate who protested at Wolfgang's treatment was also ejected -- dominated newspaper headlines on Thursday, far more so than Straw's speech itself.

    Labour's five-day conference has proved a far cry from a celebratory affair. "People criticize us over Iraq all the time," Blair said.

    The event has also been dominated by speculation as to when Blair will step down and who will take over from him.

    The prime minister has said he would not seek a fourth term in office and would step down as Labour leader and prime minister ahead of the next general election, which must take place before May 2010.

    But allies indicated after his speech that this may mean resignation in three or more years' time, rather than the 18 months which Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, who is considered the overwhelming favourite to take over, is thought to favor. Enditem