A deeply divisive figure returns to Parliament

A firebrand orator and former Celebrity Big Brother contestant, Rochdale byelection winner George Galloway has enjoyed support from some left-wing groups for his staunch support of Palestinian causes.

However, he has been accused of stoking division and using sexist, homophobic andantisemiticlanguagebyhis opponents.

It was Palestine that formed the cornerstone of his campaign in Rochdale, where he became the favourite after Labour withdrew support from its own candidate over remarks about the Israelhamas conflict.

And Palestine has been a major theme of Mr Galloway’s politicalcareer,onemarkedby ferocious opposition to British and American foreign policies, both in the Middle East and, more recently, in their supportforukraine.oneofhis first political campaigns as a youthful Labour Party activist was to press for his home town of Dundee to be twinned with Nablusonthepalestinianwest Bank.

He first entered Parliament in 1987, winning Glasgow Hillheadfromformerhomesecretaryandleadingsdpfigureroy Jenkins. But his relationship with Labour was not a happy one.asearlyas1988,theexecutive committee of his constituency party passed a vote of no confidence in him, and he narrowlysurvivedaselectioncontest in the next year.

He was widely criticised over a 1994 visit to Iraq when he was filmed apparently praising Saddam Hussein for his courage, strength and indefatigability – although he always insisted his comments were addressed to the Iraqi people. His outspoken opposition to the2003invasionofiraqfinally brought his long-running feud with the Labour hierarchy to a head.hewasexpelledfromthe party after accusing Tony Blair and George W Bush of acting “like wolves” and urging Britishtroopstodisobeytheir“illegal” orders.

He went on to found the Respect party, defeating Labour MP Oona King in Bethnal Green and Bow in 2005, overturning a 10,000 majority with a campaign aimed at the East London constituency’s Bangladeshi community.

He lost the seat in 2010, only to make an even more remarkable comeback two years later taking Bradford West from Labour in a by-election, after again targeting the seat’s largely Asian and Muslim communities. He lost the seat again in 2015 after a campaign that saw him accused of sexism against Labour’s Naz Shah.

Further bids for election came in the 2016 London mayoral contest, the 2017 and 2019 general elections, and the 2021 Batleyandspenby-election,as wellastryingtowinaseatinthe Scottish Parliament.