A JOURNALIST had his press accreditation for the Labour party conference declined by Sussex Police.

Michael Segalov, a former University of Sussex student, was all set for the start of the conference in Brighton on Sunday, only to be informed his accreditation had not been accepted - because he did not pass the security check to enter the site.

However, the force has refused to say why the journalist has been banned.

Mr Segalov, who is the news editor for Huck magazine, based in London, said the conference was one of the biggest events in the calendar for his publication, and said it is a huge loss not being able to attend.

He does not have a criminal record and has never been arrested.

Mr Segalov applied for his accreditation three months ago and had arranged interviews with politicians for inside the event.

He said: “The plan was to cover the event with interviews, analysis and reporting as we do at all significant political events.

“Alongside my work at Huck I also regularly appear on broadcast media to talk about topics including the Labour party, and I write for other national publications too.

“Without access to the event, much of this is now impossible.”

Mr Segalov, who was an officer for university’s Students’ Union during his studies, said it has prevented him from doing his job.

“Not being able to access the conference despite having no criminal record, never having been arrested or convicted of an offence while being a member of both the National Union of Journalists and the Labour Party, has meant I’m unable to fulfil my job as a journalist,” he said.

“Accessing political events is integral to the work I do, and right now, despite being given no justification or reasoning, the police are restricting me from doing this.”

In an email seen by The Argus, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) liaised with Mr Segalov regarding the matter, but it was a decision made by a GMP sergeant who was working on behalf of Sussex Police at the time. He remains in the dark about why his accreditation was declined, insisting that he cannot think of a valid reason.

Mr Segalov, who has interviewed Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell in the past, has been part of peaceful protests, but says he never broke the law at any of them.

He said: “As a student at Sussex University, I was involved in peaceful, democratic processes, which I continue to be a part of to this day.”

He was one of five students suspended by the university for a protest against campus in 2013. Mr Segalov and the other students were reinstated and he successfully sued the university for defamation.

When speaking to The Argus, he was adamant these were not valid reasons for Sussex Police’s decision to decline his accreditation. He said it was a “massive shock” to be denied access to the huge political event.

A spokesman for the force said: “All applications to attend the conference are subject to an accreditation process. We will not disclose details about individual applications and the reasons for their refusal for operational reasons.”