Celebrity Big Brother's George Galloway has postponed a question-and-answer session in Sussex because of poor ticket sales.

The Respect MP for Bethnal Green, who was criticised for pretending to be a cat on the Channel 4 show, said he would not be able to attend An Audience with George Galloway at Lewes Town Hall on Saturday because of another engagement.

Mr Galloway's agent Ron McKay told The Argus the MP was needed at a Respect party strategic planning meeting about the local elections in May.

He said the party was standing candidates for each of the 51 seats in Tower Hamlets with the hope of taking control of the London borough council.

Norman Baker, Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes, said Mr Galloway was letting people down.

He said: "That seems a pretty poor excuse to me. I would have thought the party could have organised the event around him as he's their MP.

"I would have thought it was more likely that he hadn't sold enough tickets - at £17.50 each, who wants to pay that?"

Yesterday a spokeswoman for Clive Conway Celebrity Productions, which organised the event, admitted poor ticket sales led to the postponement.

She said: "Ticket sales weren't brilliant so George thought it would be better for him to attend a constituency event."

Lewes Town Hall, the Hailsham Pavilion - where tickets were sold promoter Bob Perry and Clive Conway Celebrity Productions all admitted they were unable to provide sales figures.

But The Argus understands just a handful were bought.

Earlier this month it was revealed only half the tickets for Mr Galloway's six one-man shows across the country had been sold.

Mr Galloway is expected to reschedule the event in Lewes for later this year although a date has not yet been set.

The rebel MP, who was expelled from the Labour party in 2003 over outspoken comments against the Iraq war, formed his own Respect party and won his London seat from Labour in last year's election.

Last May he was hauled before the US Senate over allegations he profited from Iraqi oil deals - an allegation he always denied.

In 2004 he won £150,000 libel damages from the Daily Telegraph over allegations about business dealings with Saddam Hussein.

Ticket refunds can be obtained by ringing 01323 841414.