Tory egged after brandishing picture of Margaret Thatcher at anti-austerity protesters

The young man could be seen laughing and waving a copy of the Daily Telegraph newspaper at protesters before the egg hit him square in the forehead

(YouTube)

A Tory conference attendee who brandished a picture of Margaret Thatcher at anti-austerity protesters has been egged by the angry crowd.

The apparent Conservative party member was among a group watching the protest from the edge of the “ring of steel” around the Manchester conference secure zone.

The young man could be seen laughing and waving a copy of the Daily Telegraph newspaper at protesters before the egg hit him square in the forehead.

The edition of the newspaper featured a picture of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher on its front page and appeared to antagonise the crowd.

Defying official party advice to keep a low profile, the man was wearing a dark suit with a tie, and union flag pocket handkerchief.

He also had a Conservative conference lanyard around his neck, marking him out as an attendee.

A video of the incident shows him retreating to clean himself off after the incident. Some social media users reported that a man had been arrested over the incident.

Party bosses warned activists ahead of the annual gathering not to wear suits or conference passes outside the party for fear of hostile protests.

Lord Feldman said it was “particularly important” this year for Conservatives not to identify themselves to the general public in Manchester.

Outside the conference, which is due to run Sunday through Monday, tens of thousands of protesters marched in a demonstration organised by the People’s Assembly and Trades Union Congress.

The demonstration passed without major violence, though minor scuffles such as the egging incident did occur at the margins.

In other incidents, journalists covering the conference, such as Channel 4 political correspondent Michael Crick, reported being spat on by protesters.

A number of other journalists, as well as conference-goers unaffiliated with the Conservative party, were shouted at and confronted by certain protesters.

Early estimates suggested around 80,000 people attended the event, which featured speeches by people including musicians Charlotte Church and Billy Bragg, and writer Owen Jones.