A protester over Iraq and civil liberties told The Argus getting into the Labour Party Conference had been "easy as pie".

And pro-hunt hecklers who also gained entry to the Brighton Centre said they were proud of their protest.

Millionaire eco-activist Hector Christie, 43, had been released from jail only weeks before he joined the Labour Party yet obtained a conference pass without a hitch.

Friend and fellow campaigner Douglas Paton-Garner said the men did not think the stunt would come off.

They joined the party just over a month ago and after downloading forms for conference passes off the internet, realised they had missed the deadline for applications.

They went ahead anyway and requested a pass for yesterday to coincide with Tony Blair's keynote speech, convinced their plan would fail.

Not only did Mr Christie's form arrive too late, he did not read the small print and failed to get a recommendation from a high-ranking Labour party member, as required.

Instead, the aristocrat used the name of a friend from his village of Westleigh, near Bideford, Devon, who was unknown to the party.

If that was not enough of a give-away, a simple internet search of Mr Christie's name quickly comes up with his history.

The ex-Etonian and heir to the Glyndebourne estate has been an active campaigner on a variety of issues since 2001.

In March 2002 he was imprisoned for a week after he lay down in a Bideford road to protest about the Government's handling of the foot and mouth crisis and then refused to pay a £120 fine.

He has also vowed to destroy any GM crops and has collected 4,000 signatures in a high-profile campaign.

Nevertheless, the application sailed through security and arrived on Mr Christie's doorstep last Wednesday.

Mr Paton-Garner, who lives on Mr Christie's Westleigh estate with other eco-campaigners, said: "Hector came round straight away to see me and his face was a picture of horror and happiness in equal measures. He was terrified because he is not a man that normally does things like this.

"We just couldn't believe we'd got away with it."

Mr Paton-Garner said the stunt had been planned over a late-night coffee on Mr Christie's estate with fellow protesters six weeks ago.

Four friends, who included Guardian journalist and writer George Monbiot and Guy Taylor, leader of international anti-corporate group Globalise Resistance, decided something had to be done to keep the focus on Iraq and civil liberties.

They were worried the issues were going to be swallowed by the debate on hunting and hatched a plan to sneak ten people into the conference and start a slow hand-clap during Mr Blair's address.

They later decided that was too ambitious and they would just try to get Mr Christie in.

Mr Paton-Douglas said: "We planned what Hector would shout but he was very nervous.

"He really isn't the nutter that these kind of protesters are usually painted as.

"It's ironic that Blair said 'At least you're free to protest' because the Government outlawing of legal protest in the Civil Contingency Act is exactly what Hector was shouting about."

"It took a lot of bravery but he was determined to get Iraq and civil liberties back into the public eye."

Meanwhile the pro-hunt demonstrators, four men and two women, ejected from the Brighton Centre after screaming at the Prime Minister from the balcony said they were proud of their protest.

One dropped a rape alarm into the audience in a bid to drown out the speech before security guards escorted them out of the building.

Catherine Joyce, 21, a student from Tewkesbury, said: "We're just very proud of what we did and believe in standing up for our liberty.

"There are thousands of people here but the Labour Government is not listening to them. I go hunting three or four times a week. I have only just started and I feel passionate that it should not be banned.

"It is a form of pest control and I cannot understand why so many people are against it."

As he was being escorted away, Philip Hall, 33, a tenant farmer from Bristol, said: "We have demonstrated to say that hunting should not be banned, which is our democratic right.

"It was also our right as Labour party members to protest against the Prime Minister who is pushing this through."

Asked when he joined Labour he said: "I don't know how long I've been a member of the Labour Party - my secretary deals with it."

James Murrey-Wells, 21, from the Gloucestershire branch of the Labour Party added: "This is the rape of the countryside which is why we set off rape alarms."

George Wade, 29, confirmed he was a member of the party and said: "We shouted out that this is the rape of the countryside by the Labour Government.

"Our voice is not being heard through the democratic process and we have to make sure our case is heard."

Harry Meade, 21, from Wiltshire, said: "We have never been listened to. We are having to stand up and cause civil disobedience again and again."

Brighton and Hove councillor Sue John was sitting yards from where the rape alarm fell and said: "It was really scary - I had no idea what it was.

"This did nothing to take away from the fact that Blair's speech displayed all the qualities that made him our Prime Minister."

Pavilion MP David Lepper said: "An experienced politician like Tony Blair can handle a few hecklers."