George Galloway takes swipe at 'double dealing' Sir Keir Starmer as MP threatens to oust Angela Rayner next

George Galloway takes swipe at 'double dealing' Sir Keir Starmer as MP threatens to oust Angela Rayner next

WATCH: 'Labour to blame for George Galloway's return to Parliament'

GB NEWSS
Millie Cooke

By Millie Cooke


Published: 04/03/2024

- 15:56

Updated: 04/03/2024

- 19:41

The new MP for Rochdale claimed there are 15,000 people in the Labour Deputy Leader's constituency who support his point of view

George Galloway has taken a swipe at Sir Keir Starmer, accusing him of "double dealing" in his encounters with Speaker Lindsay Hoyle ahead of last month's vote on a ceasefire in Gaza.

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He also threatened to oust Angela Rayner from her seat, saying he will stand a candidate against her at the next election.

The MP for Rochdale said the candidate will either be from the Workers' Party or an independent who holds a similar viewpoint.

Galloway pointed out that Rayner has a majority of just 4,000 but claimed there are 15,000 people in her constituency who support his point of view.

Rayner/Galloway

George Galloway has taken a swipe at Sir Keir Starmer

PA

He added: "There are many constituencies in London … Bethnal Green in the heart of the City of London, in Birmingham, in other parts of the West Midlands, in north-west England, in the towns around Rochdale, Oldham, Blackburn, Burnley, Nelson, Bury.

"We’ll be putting candidates up in all these places and we will either win or we’ll make sure that Keir Starmer doesn’t win."

Speaking about the chaos over a vote on a Gaza ceasefire, which saw the Labour leader accused of pressuring the Speaker into tabling a Labour amendment, Galloway said: "I feel sorry for the Speaker because he was placed in an impossible position by the double dealing of the Labour leadership."

Galloway also used his press conference to warn that the world "stands at a very dangerous cross roads, perhaps as dangerous as any".

He said the UK has "no Mr Churchill in this picture, no one able to step forward and steady the ship of state and begin to rally and unite our people".

Galloway was sworn in as an MP this afternoon after his by-election victory in Rochdale.

The Workers Party of Britain MP pledged allegiance to the King as part of the swearing-in ceremony all MPs are required to undertake.

Galloway was accompanied by Alba Party MP Neale Hanvey and Conservative MP Sir Peter Bottomley, the Father of the House, as his sponsors.

Friday's victory marked a humiliating defeat for the Labour Party, whose former candidate Azhar Ali - who was disowned by the party after being accused of antisemitism - came fourth.

The seat was thought to be a safe hold for Labour, given the 10,000 majority won by Sir Tony Lloyd in 2019.

Galloway, representing the Workers' Party of Britain, won the by-election in Rochdale with a majority of 5,697, taking 12,335 votes. This amounts to just less than 40 per cent of the vote share.

Speaking to GB News after the count, Galloway warned: "Keir Starmer has woken up to his worst nightmare".

Asked if he will try to replicate last night's victory at a general election, Galloway warned: "Especially in this region. I don't know what will happen elsewhere in the country, but I have now received deputations from Bolton, from Oldham, from Blackburn, from Bury and from Tameside in Greater Manchester - and that's just the deputations I've received. We've got 59 parliamentary candidates ready to go".

Galloway

Friday's victory marked a humiliating defeat for the Labour Party

PA

He added: "I know of many already in the field who will now be energised by the results here tonight.

"I think Keir Starmer has woken up this morning to his worst nightmare."

Speaking about the Labour Party, Galloway said the Workers' Party plans to "either defeat them ourselves or cause their defeat."

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