A LABOUR activist has been dropped as a candidate in the forthcoming Worcester local elections - because he wrote a letter to the Evening News.

The last-minute ditching of Peter Nielsen as a candidate in Claines ward means the city's Labour group has left a ward with no Labour challenge for the first time since 1972.

It comes after the publication of a You Say letter challenging Tony Blair's reform agenda.

Now, party organisers have followed the move by claiming that the seat was unwinnable at the Thursday, May 2, elections in any case.

The outspoken former group chairman had been unanimously selected to stand in Claines but, two days before the closing date for registering candidates, he was ousted for views published in this newspaper on Friday, March 22.

It left the Labour Party with no time to find a replacement candidate and to collect necessary signatures for nomination forms.

In his You Say letter, Mr Nielsen said Mr Blair's economic policies, based too much on business interests, was destroying the European Social Model.

In a statement, Constituency Labour Party chairman Joy Squires said Mr Nielsen's comments implied Government leaders were deliberately placing the party on the right of British politics. She felt it was highly critical of the Government and detrimental to the party in Worcester.

She added it would make little difference if he stood, as Labour had no prospect of winning.

In 1999, the Tories polled 1,163 votes, the Liberal Democrats took 1,088 and Labour trailed with 303.

"Following the publication of my letter in the Evening News, the executive in Worcester reacted by demanding I sign an undertaking," said Mr Nielsen.

"This required me to clear all media contact, local and national, written and broadcast with the election agent for the duration period."

The former party chairman said no other candidate was required to give such an undertaking. Other candidates were only requested to submit media material on local issues to the agent.

"My letter dealt with national/international issues and, with the unanimous support of the North Wards branch, I refused to sign," he added.

The decision to de-select him was held up on appeal.