Labour has become embroiled in a new discrimination row after an event organised by the party was found to have barred straight white men from attending.

MPs last night accused Labour of abandoning its principles after it emerged that Young Labour’s Equalities Conference would only permit entrants who were disabled, LGBT, female, or from an ethnic minority background.

White heterosexual men were not listed as eligible for entry to the event, which will take place on 17 March in central London.

It comes just two weeks after a similar event in Loughborough was criticised over the decision to charge white attendants a premium for entry.

The legality of the policy was flagged as a potential breach of the law by campaigners, while the Equality and Human Rights Commission announced it would be considering whether to intervene.

Defending the entry criteria last night, a Labour Party spokesman denied that the event was discriminatory, adding that there was “nothing new” about it.