BRIGHTON and Hove Albion supporters have defended John Prescott after he was accused of compromising any future Falmer decision by accepting hospitality from the club.

The Deputy Prime Minister has been accused of conduct unbecoming a minister after he was a guest of the Seagulls while his planning permission for their new stadium is still being contested.

Norman Baker, MP for Lewes, has written to Prime Minister Tony Blair urging him to strip Prescott of his decision-making powers in the case.

The Argus reported that Mr Prescott had attended an Albion match, watching his team Hull lose 2-1 on December 16 - eight days after Lewes District Council lodged an appeal against the decision in the High Court.

Mr Baker said it was "outrageous" the Deputy Prime Minister had attended the match before dining in the boardroom with chairman Dick Knight and directors of both clubs.

But Paul Samrah, of the Falmer for All Campaign, said: "Mr Prescott is the member for Hull East and his constituency team was playing in a city he was visiting on official business. He was entertained as any other visiting guest would be entertained.

"Mr Baker should be more concerned about the prospect of significant legal costs when the appeal is thrown out rather than trying to find allegations of impropriety and scoring points."

Mr Prescott granted planning permission on October 27 for a new 22,000-seat home for Albion at Falmer.

Lewes District Council served papers on December 8 to argue Mr Prescott had made a number of errors in planning law.

If the appeal is successful, the case would be referred back to Mr Prescott for reconsideration in his role as the final arbiter in planning disputes.

After the Brighton v Hull match at Withdean Stadium, Mr Prescott received a standing ovation from fans and posed for photos with campaigners for the move to Falmer.

Mr Baker, in whose Lewes constituency the proposed stadium site is located, said: "The whole thing is outrageous. If a local councillor behaved in this way, taking hospitality while a case is live, he could be barred from office under the rules established by the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister.

"I have written to the Prime Minister demanding that Mr Prescott be removed from the case.

"If the council succeeds in court, it should be another minister that considers the case, because he has compromised his position."

A spokesman for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister stressed that Mr Prescott had gone to the December 16 match purely in order to watch his home team play, and had not gone to the site of the new stadium during his visit.

Martin Perry, Albion's chief executive, said Mr Prescott had not even sat at the same table as the club's directors.