Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

George Galloway: Next election will be about Muslims

Galloway highlighted prime minister Rishi Sunak’s focus on “Muslims and Gaza”

George Galloway: Next election will be about Muslims

THE new Rochdale MP has said that the upcoming election would be about Muslims and the taking away of civil liberties in this country.

After sworn into the Commons as the new lawmaker for Rochdale on Monday (4), George Galloway highlighted prime minister Rishi Sunak's focus on "Muslims and Gaza" as a strategic issue for his re-election, reported The Telegraph.


“They want to force [Keir] Starmer either to stand up and defend the democratic rights of the British people, including the rights of its religious and ethnic minorities – and if he does that I’m a Dutchman – or to engage him in what will turn out to be a Dutch auction of nastiness," Galloway, the leader of the Workers Party of Britain and a former Labour MP, was quoted as saying.

“If he chooses, as I suspect he will, the latter, that’s going to allow us and independent candidates to pick up potentially millions of votes from those who treasure the free rights that we have enjoyed since the Second World War in this country, and who wish to defend the Muslim communities in Britain."

The MP asserted that he represented a significant portion of the British populace and highlighted that voters in numerous constituencies shared his perspectives.

His wife, Putri Gayatri Pertiwi, displayed a fingernail adorned with the Palestinian flag while her husband addressed the gathering outside the Palace of Westminster, the report said.

He also announced plans to challenge Angela Rayner's seat in Ashton-under-Lyne, boasting of having 15,000 supporters in the constituency, potentially enough to overturn Rayner's 4,000-vote majority.

Galloway urged former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to launch and lead an alliance of “socialist, progressive and anti-war organisations”.

On Friday (1), the veteran left-wing political maverick vowed to be a thorn in the side for the opposition Labour over Gaza before a national election it is tipped to win.

After running a pro-Palestinian campaign, Galloway won over many of Rochdale's Muslim community by attacking both Labour and governing Tories for supporting Israel in its war against Hamas.

He won 12,335 votes in the by-election compared with 6,638 for second-placed David Tully, an independent candidate. The former Labour candidate, Azhar Ali, came fourth after the opposition party pulled its support from him over a recording espousing conspiracy theories about Israel.

On Monday, Neale Hanvey, the Alba MP, and Sir Peter Bottomley, the Father of the House, introduced the new MP to the commons.

Galloway's return to the parliament is expected to stir up tensions in the chamber, with the Board of Deputies of British Jews calling for him to be “shunned as a pariah by all parliamentarians”.

Born in the Scottish city of Dundee, he was first elected as a Labour lawmaker to the parliament in 1987 to a seat in Glasgow, and soon gained a reputation for controversy.

In 1994, he drew criticism for meeting Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and telling him: "Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability."

He was an outspoken critic of Britain's involvement in the Iraq War, leading to his suspension from Labour in 2003. He joined the anti-war Respect Party in 2005 and won the London seat of Bethnal Green and Bow in that year's national election.

(with inputs from Reuters)

More For You

Harry and Meghan urge tougher safeguards to protect children online

Prince Harry criticised tech companies for citing privacy laws to deny access

Getty

Harry and Meghan urge tougher safeguards to protect children online

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have called for stronger protections for children online, warning that not enough is being done to shield young people from the dangers of social media

During a visit to New York, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle unveiled a new memorial dedicated to the memory of children whose families believe harmful online content contributed to their deaths. The installation, named the Lost Screen Memorial, features 50 smartphones, each displaying an image of a child lost to what their families describe as the adverse effects of social media. The memorial was made available to the public for 24 hours.

Keep ReadingShow less
Afghan exodus soars as Pakistan deadline nears

Afghan refugees arrive at a camp near the Torkham border last Sunday (20)

Afghan exodus soars as Pakistan deadline nears

MORE than 100,000 Afghans have left Pakistan in the past three weeks, the interior ministry said on Tuesday (22), after Islamabad announced the cancellation of residence permits.

Calling Afghans “terrorists and criminals”, the Pakistan government launched its mass eviction campaign on April 1. Analysts said the expulsions are designed to pressure Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, which Islamabad blames for fuelling a rise in border attacks.

Keep ReadingShow less
Government announces funding for offshore wind supply chains

Energy secretary Ed Miliband reads a letter from Britain's King Charles III during the Future of Energy Security Summit at Lancaster House on April 24, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Tallis - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Government announces funding for offshore wind supply chains

THE government has announced an initial £300 million investment to strengthen domestic offshore wind supply chains ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review. The funding will be distributed through Great British Energy, the country's publicly-owned clean energy company.

Prime minister Keir Starmer on Thursday (24) said the investment aims to support jobs and help the UK reach clean power by 2030.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi-pahalgam-getty

'I say to the whole world: India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backer,' Modi said in his first speech since the incident.

Getty Images

Modi vows to hunt Kashmir attackers ‘to the ends of the Earth’

INDIA and Pakistan have exchanged a series of diplomatic measures after prime minister Narendra Modi blamed Pakistan for a deadly shooting in Pahalgam, Kashmir, in which 26 civilians were killed.

Modi said India would identify and punish those behind the attack and accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump

Trump also announced an initiative on historically black colleges and universities and signed orders on AI education and workforce development.

Getty Images

Trump signs orders targeting university diversity policies and accreditation

DONALD TRUMP signed a set of executive orders on Wednesday aimed at US universities, focusing on foreign donations, college accreditation, and diversity and inclusion initiatives.

One order directs the federal government to enforce existing laws requiring universities to disclose large foreign gifts. Another addresses accreditation, which Trump has described as a “secret weapon.”

Keep ReadingShow less