A LONG-SERVING Labour Party member has threatened to burn his membership card in York city centre if the U.S. and UK attack Iraq without backing from the United Nations.

Gordon Campbell-Thomas, whose involvement with the Labour Party started during the campaign to elect Prime Minister Harold Wilson in the 1960s, has set up a new website where party members can pledge to leave if the Government goes to war, with or without the UN.

Mr Campbell-Thomas said he had "misgivings" about war, even with UN backing.

But he said that for the Government to go to war without a UN mandate would be "absolutely unacceptable".

He said: "We held a meeting with York's MP, Hugh Bayley, recently where the Iraq issue was discussed.

"Between 70 and 80 local members were there and the feeling was overwhelmingly anti-war. If a significant number of those people decide to leave that could have a significant effect on the party's ability to campaign for the coming local elections."

He said: "If this war goes ahead, whether I am by myself, or with others from the Labour Party, I will publicly burn my membership card in Parliament Street.

"I have listened to all the arguments, I have signed the petitions, I have been on the marches, I have written to my MP.

"All I have left is my membership of the party.

"If the leadership of the party is not prepared to listen to the grass roots opinion of millions of people, then it is not the party for me."

Mr Campbell-Thomas, a prospective Labour Party candidate for Westfield ward in City of York Council elections, said if he did resign from the party he could stand as an Independent.

David Ellis, chairman of York Labour Party, said: "It isn't a surprise that there is a difference of opinion about how the situation in Iraq should be dealt with.

"In that context Gordon Campbell-Thomas is entitled to express his own view, as is anybody else.

"With regard to his candidacy, on May 1 people will be electing councillors to run the city of York and not to negotiate with United Nations.

"While I understand there are lots of people, both inside and outside the Labour Party, who have reservations about what is happening in Iraq, I would urge people to base their decision on how they would like to see the city of York run for the next four years."

Mr Ellis said party members would be working hard to ensure that as many Labour candidates as possible were elected to council and that if Mr Campbell-Thomas resigned from the party another Westfield Labour candidate would be chosen.

The website can be found at www.labouragainstthewar.org

Updated: 10:25 Thursday, March 06, 2003