'End obscenity of fox hunting'

Mr Robinson, pictured, best known for his role as Baldrick in the Blackadder series, is a member of Labour's ruling National Executive Committee.

He told conference: "Hopefully, very soon we will see the end of the tawdry obscenity of fox hunting in this country.

"But when we do we have a duty to convince people who live in the country that it's us, not the Tories, who are on their side.

"We must discover how to provide the resources to ensure that they get the networks of banks, of post offices, of village shops, of buses and affordable housing that are so desperately needed in the countryside."

The presenter of the archaeology-based Time Team television show also said historic sites needed more protection.

"Forty per cent of the archaeology of this country is under threat from the plough, more from the metal detector and coastal erosion. How do we prevent that from happening?" he asked.