Galloway may make return to Scottish politics

ROW: Dundee-born former MP involved in spat over border quarantine protest

Dundee-born former MP George Galloway is plotting a return to Scottish politics after becoming embroiled in a fierce social media row over a proposed quarantine for people arriving in Scotland from England.

The left-wing firebrand confirmed he has decided to move back to Scotland following a storm with proindependence social media users this weekend, which he said culminated in him receiving “blood-curdling” threats of physical violence.

The former Labour and Respect MP said a bid to secure a Scottish Parliament seat is “not fantastically of interest” at the moment due to his other work commitments but it is something he would consider “if necessary”.

Mr Galloway has already dipped his toes back into the water by launching a campaign urging opposition leaders to agree an electoral pact where only the candidate with the best chance of defeating the SNP would run at next year’s Holyrood election.

He has also been vocal about his opposition to any coronavirus quarantine for people travelling to Scotland from the rest of the UK.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said this week the Scottish Government has “no plans” to introduce such measures but has refused to rule it out for the future.

Her position on the issue has led to criticism from opposition politicians after a small group of protesters gathered at the side of the A1 road at the border on Saturday, wearing protective overalls and swearing at people to “stay out” of Scotland.

Mr Galloway, whose mother and sister still live in Dundee, said he took to social media to condemn the demonstration because he believed it painted an unpleasant image of Scotland to the rest of the world.

He said: “I had myself crossed the border just the day before. I had my children in the car and I wouldn’t have liked them to have witnessed that.

“They would have been wondering why their father, Scottish born and bred, was being screamed at to get the f*** out of Scotland.

“Lo and behold, as soon as I highlighted it, I had hundreds of people saying that – and in even worse language – on Twitter and social media. That included threats which I’ve had to pass to the police.

“Much worse, it was my wife that opened one in a direct email – and my wife is nine months pregnant. She is due any day. She opened an email threatening us with physical violence. It’s just not acceptable.”

Mr Galloway said the incident had prompted him to make a decision on returning to Scotland – although he said he would not be moving back to Dundee.

Picture: PA. Former Labour and Respect MP George Galloway says he will not be moving back to the City of Discovery.