Left-wing firebrand George Galloway wins UK by-election
AFP Published March 2, 2024
ROCHDALE: Left-wing firebrand George Galloway was elected to the UK parliament on Friday after tapping into anger over the Israel-Hamas war in a by-election.
Galloway, 69, first became an MP in 1987 and will return to the House of Commons for the first time since 2015 after winning the seat of Rochdale, in the north of England, by nearly 6,000 votes.
The vote saw the main opposition Labour party withdraw its candidate, Azhar Ali, after he touted a conspiracy theory that Israel had allowed Hamas to carry out its attack on October 7.
Galloway put the Gaza conflict front and centre of his campaign in Rochdale, which has a 30 per cent Muslim population.
Workers Party leader put Gaza conflict front and centre in his campaign
“Keir Starmer, this is for Gaza,” Galloway, leader of the Workers Party of Great Britain, said in his victory speech, referring to the Labour party’s leader.
“You have paid, and you will pay, a high price for the role that you have played in enabling, encouraging and covering for the catastrophe presently going on in occupied Palestine in the Gaza Strip,” he added.
The Scottish-born Galloway, nicknamed “Gorgeous George”, has had a long and chequered political career, in which he has represented several parties, including Labour.
He sparked controversy in the 1990s when he visited then-Iraq leader Saddam Hussein, telling him: “Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability”.
Galloway gained international attention in 2005 when he was called to testify over Iraq in the US Senate. He had earlier been expelled from Labour over his stance on the war.
His majority of 5,697 votes in Rochdale amounted to 18.3 per cent of the total, on a turnout of 39.7 per cent.
The surprise runner-up was David Tully, a local businessman and independent candidate.
It is very rare for none of the main parties to finish in first and second place.
Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2024
Galloway overturned Labour's 9,668 majority to win the by-election in the previously Labour safe seat with a majority of 5,697, securing 12,335 votes overall.
The Labour Party has slammed George Galloway for only being interested in ‘stoking fear and division’, after his victory in the Rochdale by-election.
Galloway overturned Labour’s 9,668 majority to win the by-election in the previously Labour safe seat with a majority of 5,697, securing 12,335 votes overall.
The by-election was triggered when veteran Labour MP and former interim Manchester mayor, Tony Lloyd, died in-post at the age of 73 in January.
The Labour Party had withdrawn support for its own candidate, Azhar Ali, after he was found to have made anti-semitic comments. Despite Labour suspending its former candidate, he still appeared on voting papers in Rochdale under the party banner, because electoral law meant ballot papers could not be changed after publication.
Following Galloway’s victory, the Labour Party said it deeply regretted being unable to field a candidate in the by-election.
A spokesperson said: “We deeply regret that the Labour party was unable to field a candidate in this by-election and apologise to the people of Rochdale. George Galloway only won because Labour did not stand.
“Rochdale deserved the chance to vote for an MP that would bring communities together and deliver for working people. George Galloway is only interested in stoking fear and division. As an MP he will be a damaging force in our communities and public life.
“The Labour party will quickly begin the process to select a new Labour candidate for the general election, and will be campaigning hard to deliver the representation and fresh start that Rochdale deserves.”
Labour MP and deputy national campaign co-ordinator Ellie Reeves apologised on BBC Radio 4 on Friday morning for not having stood an endorsed candidate.
“If Labour had stood, I don’t believe George Galloway would have won. Our job now is to select a Labour candidate for the general election…someone that can work with all the communities in Rochdale to rebuild trust.”
“We ran no campaign there in support of Azhar Ali. We regret that we weren’t able to have a candidate…but it was the right decision.”
A full breakdown of the Rochdale
Galloway overturned Labour’s 9,668 majority to win the by-election
George Galloway has returned to Parliament after winning the Rochdale by election. The by election was triggered when veteran Labour MP Tony Lloyd died in-post at the age of 73 in January.
Galloway overturned Labour’s 9,668 majority to win the by-election in the previously Labour safe seat with a majority of 5,697, securing 12,335 votes overall.
The Labour Party has slammed Galloway for only being interested in ‘stoking fear and division’ after his victory saying that it deeply regretted being unable to field a candidate in the by-election.
An independent candidate, David Tully, finished second on 6,638 votes. The Conservative candidate Paul Ellison finished third on 3,731 votes.
Labour’s former candidate Azhar Ali, who the party withdrew backing for during the campaign because of anti-semitic statements he had made, but who it could not take off the ballot, finished fourth behind the Tories with 2,402 votes – just 7.7% of the vote.
For a full breakdown of the results, see below:
Workers Party: George Galloway – 12,335
Independent: David Tully – 6,638
Conservative: Paul Ellison – 3,731
Labour: Azhar Ali – 2,402
Liberal Democrats: Iain Donaldson – 2,164
Reform UK: Simon Danczuk – 1,968
Independent: William Howarth – 523
Independent: Mark Coleman – 455
Green: Guy Otten – 436
Independent: Michael Howarth – 246
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
Rochdale by-election: Results breakdown and analysis as George Galloway says ‘this is for Gaza’
George Galloway has won a landslide victory in the Rochdale by-election, saying his victory showed Keir Starmer has paid a “high price” for his stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict as Labour’s suspended candidate slumped to fourth in its former seat.
The controversial politician, standing for the Workers’ Party, got 12,335 votes after a campaign dominated by Gaza, pulling off another insurgent campaign against his former party over its foreign policy by winning a majority of almost 6,000.
An independent candidate, David Tully, finished second on 6,638 votes. The Conservative candidate Paul Ellison finished third on 3,731 votes.
Labour’s former candidate Azhar Ali, who the party withdrew backing for during the campaign but too late to take him off the ballot, finished fourth behind the Tories with 2,402 votes – just 7.7% of the vote.
Former Labour Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk, standing for the Reform Party, got 1,968 votes. He represented the Rochdale constituency between 2010 and 2017.
‘Keir Starmer, this is for Gaza’
The constituency in north-west England was previously seen as a safe Labour seat. The by-election was triggered by the death of local MP Tony Lloyd.
Galloway said in his victory speech: “Keir Starmer, this is for Gaza. You have paid and you will pay for the role you have played in enabling, encouraging and covering for the catastrophe presently going on in occupied Palestine in the Gaza strip.
“The plates have shifted tonight…Keir Starmer’s problems just got 100 times more serious than they were before today.
“This is going to spark a movement, a landslide, a shifting of the tectonic plates in scores of parliamentary constituencies, beginning here in the North West, in the West Midlands, in London, from Ilford to Bethnal Green and Bow, labour is on notice that they have lost the confidence of millions of voters.”
He claimed Muslim voters were “bitterly angry” about Labour, but it would be “foolish” not to think “millions of other citizens” are too.
Ed Owen, a former adviser to New Labour minister Jack Straw, said Galloway’s speech was “full of self-serving arrogance and pomposity” and “overblown rhetoric”.
He said the “poor people of Rochdale” both “can and will get shot of him at general election.”
Galloway vowed to ‘make Rochdale great again’
Highlighting the upcoming local elections, he added: “Rochdale town councillors, I put you on notice that I plan to put together a grand alliance…the councillors have to go.”
Galloway put his victory down to both international and local issues, and called Starmer a “betrayer”.
He said the “heart has been piece by piece removed” from Rochdale, including the 2011 closure of its A&E and ongoing threat to its football club’s future.
One campaign letter to voters pledged to “make Rochdale great again” by bringing back “big names” to the high street and campaigning for health services and Rochdale AFC. It said he believed in “law and order”, family and Brexit, had “no difficulty defining what a woman is” and would ensure there were “no grooming gangs on my watch”.
‘The lesson is about candidate selection’
Luke Tryl, UK director of More in Common, said it was a “terrible result for main parties”, but “the circumstances mean it is far more likely the lesson here is one about candidate selection and due diligence than about public opinion more broadly”.
Labour MP and deputy national campaign co-ordinator Ellie Reeves apologised on BBC Radio 4 on Friday morning for not having stood an endorsed candidate.
“If Labour had stood, I don’t believe George Galloway would have won. Our job now is to select a Labour candidate for the general election…someone that can work with all the communities in Rochdale to rebuild trust.”
“We ran no campaign there in support of Azhar Ali. We regret that we weren’t able to have a candidate…but it was the right decision.”
“It is impossible to know how Labour would have performed with another candidate that had the party’s backing (although one can reasonably assume a lot better than they did), whereas the Conservative candidate appears to have been the victim of the national swing.”
Pollster Joe Twyman of Deltapoll said the decline of the Labour, Tory and Lib Dem vote marked a “stunning change”, falling from 89.8% in 2019 to just 26.7%.
A contest between former Labour politicians
Galloway compared himself to former prime minister Winston Churchill in winning in multiple constituencies, saying he had “bettered” his record by being elected three times “outside the parameters of the great parties of state”.
Galloway, a prominent critic of former Labour prime minister Tony Blair over the Iraq war, served as a Labour MP between 1987 and 2003, representing Glasgow Kelvin. He was elected for the Respect Party in 2005, representing Bethnal Green and Bow until 2010, and was again elected to parliament at the 2012 Bradford West by-election, but lost the seat in 2015.
Azhar Ali’s suspension from Labour mid-campaign came after he apologised “unreservedly” when the Mail on Sunday alleged he told a meeting last year that Israel “allowed” Hamas’ attack on October 7th in order to get a “green light to do whatever they bloody want”.
The comments by the former Lancashire Labour group leader sparked heavy criticism, including from Labour itself. Shadow minister Nick Thomas-Symonds told broadcasters Ali’s words were “completely wrong”, and “in no way represent” Labour’s views. The Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester called the reported comments a “conspiratorial narrative”, “highly offensive” and “completely fictitious”.
The comments emerged on February 10th. On February 12th Labour announced that it would not support Ali at the by-election, leaving it without a candidate as it was too late for a new one to be added to ballot papers. A spokesman for the party said it followed “new information about further comments made by Azhar Ali coming to light”, but the decision not to act earlier sparked heavy media criticism.
The Rochdale by-election was a referendum on Rishi Sunak’s and Keir Starmer’s support for Israel’s genocide
People voting in the Rochdale by-election were furious at Keir Starmer’s support for Israel (Picture: Guy Smallman)
SOCIALIST WORKER
Friday 01 March 2024
George Galloway has stormed to victory in the Rochdale by-election, winning by almost 6,000 votes. He received 12,335 votes, while the candidate with Labour next to his name on the ballot paper took only 2,402 and came fourth with less than 8 percent of the vote.
Labour’s 9,668-vote majority melted away because of the rage over Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians and Labour’s support for it.
On Friday morning Galloway, the Workers Party of Britain candidate, said, “Keir Starmer, this is for Gaza. You have paid and you will pay a high price for the role you have played in enabling, encouraging and covering for the catastrophe in occupied Palestine in the Gaza Strip.”
It was a direct echo of 2005 when Galloway won the Bethnal Green constituency in east London for the anti-war Respect party against Tony Blair’s Labour. Then he exclaimed, “Mr Blair, this is for Iraq. All the people you killed, all the lies you told have come back to haunt you.”
In Rochdale, all the main parties saw a juddering fall in their vote. David Tully, a “local lad” and “community champion” standing as an independent, came second.
There will be much talk in the media and from politicians about Muslims flooding out for Galloway. But why shouldn’t Muslims vote for a pro-Palestine candidate and one who opposes Islamophobia? And it’s also not true that Muslims all think the same way. Many vote Labour and some vote Tory.
Galloway also gained votes from non-Muslims who support what he says about Gaza and other issues.
The election reflected the disarray in British politics. Azhar Ali appeared on the ballot paper as the Labour candidate. But on 12 February Labour said it had “withdrawn support” for him after comments he made regarding Israel and alleged antisemitism.
Labour will try to say it would have won with a proper candidate. But the anger of Gaza might well have swept away an officially-supported Labour one and triggered an even greater crisis for Starmer.
Simon Danczuk, the Reform UK racist party’s candidate, was elected as Rochdale’s Labour MP in 2010. He was suspended from the Labour Party in 2015 over allegations of what he called “inappropriate behaviour”. This followed reports he had exchanged explicit messages with a 17-year-old girl. It’s heartening that Danczuk did badly.
The Green candidate stepped down near the start of the campaign after he was discovered to have previously criticised Palestinians and Islam. Nobody, at any point, thought the Tory had a chance, despite coming second last time.
Galloway has ridden the Palestinian movement of the last five months and given it a focus. It is indeed a rejection of Starmer. But Galloway says it is not a one-off.
He said after his victory, “I want to tell Mr Starmer above all, that the plates have shifted tonight. This is going to spark a movement, a landslide, a shifting of the tectonic plates in scores of parliamentary constituencies.
“Beginning here in the north west, in the West Midlands, in London, from Ilford to Bethnal Green and Bow, Labour is on notice that they have lost the confidence of millions of their voters who loyally and traditionally voted for them, generation after generation.”
Galloway senses a mood in Britain and sees himself as central to creating a different kind of non-Labour left.
But the Palestinian movement deserves a far better expression than Galloway’s “for the workers, not the wokers” politics.
There was a revealing moment during the Rochdale count. Reform UK leader Richard Tice claimed abuse of postal voting and intimidation of Danczuk and his team.
Galloway replied, “I think Mr Tice has rather lost his balance, and Mr Farage too. And I remind Mr Tice that I have on my telephone a text from him inviting me to be the Reform UK candidate in a by-election not that long ago.”
This is most revealing about Galloway. It’s a condemnation that such a rotten racist party could have wooed him. Nick Griffin, former leader of the Nazi BNP, felt able to call for a Galloway vote in Rochdale as “the best way by far to stick two fingers up to the political elite.
Galloway is not a racist, but such support is telling. The problem with Galloway was summed-up by two letters he sent out to voters.
One said, “To the voters of the Muslim faith in Rochdale. The killing of thousands of our brothers and sisters in Gaza is a war crime, and Israel must be held to account.
Islamophobia, Palestine and a rotten system
“If Labour lose this by-election, Sir Keir Starmer could well be forced out as Labour leader. Sir Keir Starmer, a top supporter of Israel.”
But another letter, aimed at a different audience, said, “First and foremost, I believe in Britain. I believe in family. I am a father of six children. And I don’t like some of the things they are teaching our children.
“I believe in men and women. God created everything in pairs. Unlike the mainstream parties, I have no difficulty in defining what a woman is. A man cannot become a woman just by declaring as such.
“I believe in law and order. I will fight for more and smarter policing. There will be no grooming gangs on my watch. Even if I have to arrest them myself. MAKE ROCHDALE GREAT AGAIN.”
One is an anti-imperialist rallying cry. The other is a stark example of how he plays with a right wing agenda.
We need a left that fights for Palestine—and also combats all forms of oppression. And the most important direction for those who have marched over Gaza is in the streets, not the ballot box.
