Hastings MP Amber Rudd has threatened to take a delegation of morris dancers to protest at the Tourism Minister’s office if he moves the May Day bank holiday to October.

John Penrose has unveiled a tourism blueprint aiming to create 50,000 new jobs and inject £2 billion into the economy by attracting more overseas visitors.

But the strategy includes a proposal to lengthen the tourism season by moving May’s first bank holiday to October.

That has sparked anger in Hastings, which holds a traditional Jack in the Green procession over the holiday drawing 20,000 visitors and is worth £5 million to the local economy.

Ms Rudd, a Conservative MP, told the minister she was “very concerned” by the plans and has collected a petition of more than 1,000 signatures.

She added: “The first annual May Day bank holiday is very important to my town of Hastings.

We attract more than 20,000 visitors and £5 million of revenue.”

The government’s policy document suggests replacing the May Day bank holiday with a St George’s Day in April but the more likely option is for a Trafalgar Day in October to attract visitors into the autumn.

Mr Penrose, who admitted there would be costs as well as benefits from the shift, insisted the plans were simply being consulted on and there would be no change until 2013.

He told The Argus: “Amber threatened to bring a delegation of morris dancers to come and see me.”