DEFENCE minister Lord Drayson today became the first major speaker to be heckled at this year's Labour conference.

The former vaccine research company chief turned politician was criticising actions of animal rights extremists when the heckler branded medical researchers "abusers" and labelled as "rubbish" claims that animal testing was necessary.

Lord Drayson - who in 1993 founded PowderJect Pharmaceuticals plc in Oxford which specialised in the production of vaccines - told delegates in Manchester that animal extremism was the "one subject that got me into politics".

"I was chairman of the biotech industry association when violent attacks on scientists working in my industry became intense," he added when the heckler called out "abusers".

Lord Drayson went on: "I will never forget one researcher after receiving a letter bomb at home he had a phone call from the extremists saying that they knew where his child got the bus to school."

He added: "All of this intimidation despite the fact that animal testing is absolutely necessary ... "

Rubbish

But he was interrupted with a cry of "rubbish" before he could add "... to prove the safety and efficacy of medicines".

The minister added: "These tests are also required by the law. Campaigning to get something done to stop this extremism turned me on to and made me realise how important politics is and started the journey which has brought me here today.

"I'd like to finish by thanking this party, thanking Tony Blair and my colleagues in this Labour Government for their leadership and the legislation to tackle animal rights extremism."

The heckler called out again but was drowned out by applause from the audience.

Stewards in the conference hall looked on nervously but resisted challenging the heckler.

Last year octogenarian Walter Wolfgang was bundled out of the conference by officials after heckling the, then, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw's speech on the Iraq war.

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