Organisers of an alternative Labour conference next month have suddenly had their booking cancelled.

They believe political pressure is behind the decision not to honour the booking for Hove Town Hall on September 24.

Brighton 2000 had provisionally booked the whole of Hove Town Hall for the Sunday on which the official Labour Party conference starts at the Brighton Centre.

Hundreds of tickets have been sold and speakers were to have included Left-wing Labour MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Tony Benn, comedians Rob Newman and Mark Thomas, and representatives from many different organisations.

But in a one-line letter from Brighton and Hove Council the booking was cancelled without explanation.

Council chief executive Glynn Jones denied he was pressured into the decision and said hiring the hall to Brighton 2000 was not appropriate.

One of the organisers, Chris Nineham, said: "It was intended as an alternative to the Labour conference.

"It was a protest against Blair's sell-out to the market and a major opportunity to discuss globalisation.

"We are very angry. Hundreds of tickets had already been sold for the day. It does look as if pressure may have been applied.

"This is not some tin-pot conference. People are flying in from all over the world.

"We were well advanced into negotiating with them over matters such as providing catering and a creche."

Green councillor Rik Child said he was taking up the case with the council.

He said: "It does seem extremely curious and I shall be asking questions about it."

Andy Richards, who chairs the local branch of the town hall union Unison, said: "I am surprised that a booking has been cancelled by the council.

"It is very sad if this has been done for commercial reasons, being put in front of democratic debate."

The decision was made by council chief executive Glynn Jones. He said: "Neither the police nor the Labour Party asked me to make this decision. I simply felt hiring this group a council building was not appropriate.

"I took this decision for commercial reasons. The council is formally hosting the Labour conference as it does with all major conferences.

"I felt this event was a provocation to our customer which would damage our chances of getting repeat business out of them."

A council spokesman added: "We would take the same decision if the customer were different. If someone wanted to have a meeting demonstrating about the Telecommunications Managers' Association conference in October, they wouldn't get Hove Town Hall either."

The formal letter, signed by culture director Sarah Tanburn, was headed Provisional Booking Hove Town Hall September 24.

It read: "Further to your letter of August 3, 2000, enclosing postdated cheque in relation to the above, I regret the council is unable to make the booking and I return your cheque herewith."

The group is now planning a meeting with council officers to discuss the situation. Mr Nineham said the event would go ahead even if it meant using to an alternative venue.