Respect Renewal was a faction that existed during the 2007-8 split within Respect – The Unity Coalition , a UK political party.
91-566: Respect Renewal was led by Linda Smith, the National Chair, Leader and Nominating Officer of Respect, and was formed in November 2007. Its supporters included George Galloway , Ken Loach , Victoria Brittain , Salma Yaqoob and Nick Wrack. In September 2007, Galloway wrote a letter to Respect's national council members saying that the party was "too disorganised" and "faced oblivion" unless it reformed its internal party management. This
182-454: A "hierarchy of racism", with "some groups seen as fair game for attacks based on religion/race/heritage". The Conservative Party 's surprise loss was blamed on their poor campaigning and a scandal that forced the resignation of Health Secretary Matt Hancock the weekend prior to the by-election. Analysis in the i newspaper suggested that George Galloway 's socially conservative stance may have attracted some Tory-leaning voters, and that
273-438: A "lifelong fear of being gay and this led me into ostentatious, rapacious heterosexual promiscuity". According to Galloway, he grew a moustache at the age of 15, and refused to shave it off when his headmaster objected. He decided, at the age of 18, never to drink alcohol; the reason was originally derived from comments by his father, and he has described alcohol as having a "very deleterious effect on people". Galloway joined
364-554: A "summer of peace and reconciliation" in his acceptance speech, but this did not happen. Many members of the party who had supported Godman reportedly refused to work for Galloway in the next election, including Johann Lamont , who later became Leader of the Scottish Labour Party in 2011. The following August, 13 of the 26 members of the constituency party's executive committee resigned, including Lamont. According to her, Galloway "has done nothing to build bridges with
455-597: A 1994 meeting, which he denied. Galloway founded the Mariam Appeal in 1998 to campaign against sanctions on Iraq . Galloway was accused of receiving illicit payments from Iraq's government, partly from money diverted from the United Nations ' Oil-for-Food Program , defending himself at a 2005 United States Senate hearing . A staunch critic of Israel and of Zionism , he supports the Palestinians in
546-602: A long way off." In the New Statesman , Paul Mason pointed out that Labour's pro-LGBT and pro-Israel positions might have resulted in a loss of Muslim votes from the Labour Party towards the Workers Party. The New Arab ' s Taj Ali said the result made it clear that Labour was losing Muslim voters because of issues like Kashmir and Palestine, as well as a reluctance to investigate Islamophobia in
637-703: A patriotic resistance. On 20 March 2003, a coalition including the United Kingdom and United States invaded Ba'athist Iraq . On 28 March 2003, Galloway said in an interview with Abu Dhabi TV : Iraq is fighting for all the Arabs. Why don't the Arabs do something for the Iraqis? Where are the Arab armies? ... They [Tony Blair and George Bush] have lied to the British Air Force and Navy , when they said
728-496: A promise to be electable. But the fact remains that winning a general election today requires 40% or more of the vote. This cannot be achieved by chasing a fixed centre ground of the broadly satisfied, something which no longer exists. It requires the building of a coalition on increasingly shifting sands – and that means, at a bare minimum, an enthusiastic base and a compelling vision for broader society. Despite Kim Leadbeater's commendable victory, Batley and Spen shows that this remains
819-400: A result, Galloway made front-page headlines in the tabloid press at the time. He and his first wife separated that year. In February 1988, the executive committee of his constituency Labour Party passed a vote of no confidence in him by 15 to 8. The constituency's general management committee voted 54-to-44 in favour of the motion a fortnight later on 22 February, although just three of
910-560: A riot". In I'm Not the Only One , Galloway wrote: The only war that can be fought against a superpower is a war of movement. I brought Tariq Aziz all the writings of Che Guevara and Mao Tse Tung on the arts of revolutionary war and he had them translated into Arabic. Fight a war of movement, take the uniforms off, swim among the Iraqi people and whatever their views on the regime, they will undoubtedly provide deep aquifers of support for
1001-526: A sizeable number of residents with South Asian backgrounds: Pakistani (9.2%) and Indian (15.9%) (mostly Gujarati ), according to the 2001 census. Heckmondwike also has a well-established South Asian community, with 16.9% residents having Pakistani heritage. Other towns in the Spen Valley part of the constituency include Birstall , Birkenshaw , Cleckheaton , Liversedge and Gomersal . These are generally more suburban and Conservative areas, with
SECTION 10
#17327759413981092-457: A slum tenement in the Irish quarter of Dundee, which is known as Tipperary". His father began as an electrician, before studying a degree to become an electromechanical engineer at NCR . After being made redundant, he retrained as a teacher. His mother was a cleaner, and then a factory worker. According to Galloway, his father was patriotic, while his mother had Irish nationalist sympathies, and
1183-714: A supporter of Palestine , stating during his libel case against The Daily Telegraph in 2004 that "barely a week after my return I made a pledge, in the Tavern Bar in Dundee's Hawkhill District, to devote the rest of my life to the Palestinian and Arab cause." He supported Dundee City Council when it flew the Palestinian flag over the City Chambers building, and was involved in the twinning of Dundee with
1274-561: A vote in the leadership election (one of only three MPs to do so). In a debate with the leader of the Scottish National Party , Alex Salmond , Galloway responded to one of Salmond's jibes against Labour by declaring "I don't give a fuck what Tony Blair thinks". In 1997, Galloway's Glasgow Hillhead constituency was abolished and, although facing a challenge for the Labour nomination as the candidate for Glasgow Kelvin at
1365-623: A £1.5 million deficit which had arisen in Dundee's city budget, he, Ernie Ross , and leading councillors should be placed in the stocks in the city square: "We would allow people to throw buckets of water over us at 20p a time." In 1983, Galloway attempted to stand for the safe Labour seat of Rhondda after the Welsh Transport and General Workers' Union and the National Union of Miners had both nominated him to succeed Alec Jones , who had died. He hoped to be selected in
1456-653: Is a British politician, broadcaster, and writer. He has been leader of the Workers Party of Britain since he founded it in 2019, and was a former leader of the Respect Party . Until 2003, he was a member of the Labour Party . From 1987 to 2010, from 2012 to 2015 and briefly in 2024 Galloway served as Member of Parliament (MP) for five constituencies. Galloway was born in Dundee , Scotland. After becoming
1547-416: Is a deeply serious, committed politician and a man of great sincerity about the causes he takes up." On 6 May 2003, David Triesman , then general secretary of the Labour Party, suspended Galloway from holding office in the party pending a hearing on charges that he had violated the party's constitution by "bringing the Labour Party into disrepute through behaviour that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to
1638-568: Is also concerned, having considered the totality of the evidence before it, that Mr Galloway may also have known of the connection between the Appeal and the Programme. Galloway, in response, stated: "I've always disputed the Commission's retrospective view that a campaign to win a change in national and international policy – a political campaign – was, in fact, a charity". Galloway became
1729-520: Is how it was translated for Saddam. Shortly after his return, Galloway was given a "severe reprimand" and "final warning" by the Labour Chief Whip, Derek Foster . Galloway apologised for his conduct and undertook to follow future instruction from the whips. For his meeting with Saddam, Galloway was dubbed the "MP for Baghdad North". When he spoke before the U.S. Senate on 17 May 2005, Galloway said that he had "met Saddam Hussein exactly
1820-578: Is my friend. Or, in the context of the modern world, any anti-American will do. When Iraq stopped being a friend of the West it became a friend of George's." According to Tam Dalyell , Galloway had been the "only one MP that I can recollect making speeches about human rights in Iraq" in the House of Commons . Galloway opposed the 1991 Gulf War and was critical of the effect that the subsequent sanctions had on
1911-471: The Daily Mirror , in a front-page story by Alastair Campbell , alleged Galloway had spent £20,000 in expenses and had been "enjoying a life of luxury". An internal investigation, and later, an independent auditor, both cleared him of the accusation of any misuse of funds, although he did repay £1,720 in contested expenses. The official history of War on Want comments about Galloway that "even though
SECTION 20
#17327759413982002-426: The 1997 general election , Galloway defeated Shiona Waldron. He was unchallenged for the nomination for the 2001 general election . He was elected with majorities of 16,643 and 12,014 votes respectively. During the period he was Labour MP for Glasgow Kelvin, from 1997 to 2003, he voted against the whip 32 times, five votes out of 665 (0.8%) in the 1997–2001 parliament and the majority (27 votes out of 209 or 12.9%) in
2093-636: The 2003 invasion of Iraq , the fund received scrutiny after a complaint that Galloway used some donated money to pay for his travel expenses. He responded by stating that the expenses were incurred in his capacity as the appeal's chairman. Although the Mariam Appeal was never a registered charity and never intended to be such, it was investigated by the Charity Commission . The report of this year-long inquiry, published in June 2004, found that
2184-613: The 2019 European Parliament election . He opposes Scottish independence , and founded the British unionist alliance All for Unity , which received 0.9 per cent of votes at the 2021 Scottish Parliament election . More recently, Galloway has blamed the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the West . Galloway hosted the TalkRadio show The Mother of All Talk Shows from 2006 to 2010 and from 2016 until his dismissal in 2019. He then moved
2275-531: The Daily Telegraph , the paper's defence Queen's Counsel accused Galloway of having "fawned over" Saddam during their meeting in 1994. Labour leader John Smith said: "I deeply deplore the foolish statement made in Iraq by Mr. George Galloway. In no way did he speak for the Labour Party and I wholly reject his comments". Galloway said that he was saluting the Iraqi people, rather than Saddam Hussein, and Galloway's friend Anas Altikriti observed that this
2366-641: The Israeli–Palestinian conflict and was involved in the 2009 Viva Palestina aid convoys to the Gaza Strip . In 2014, Galloway sustained injuries after being attacked by a Jewish convert due to his positions on Israel. He supported Jeremy Corbyn in his leadership of the Labour Party . In 2016 he campaigned for the UK to leave the European Union , later supporting Nigel Farage 's Brexit Party at
2457-752: The Labour Party Young Socialists aged 13, having falsely claimed to have been 15, and was still a teenager when he became secretary of the Dundee Labour Party. Galloway became vice-chairman of the Labour Party in the City of Dundee and a member of the Scottish Executive Committee in 1975. On 5 May 1977, he contested his first election campaign in the Scottish district elections, but failed to hold
2548-535: The Militant tendency ), he thought the problem was better resolved by communist thinking from members of the CPGB. (He was later opposed to the expulsion of members of Militant. ) In response, Denis Healey , Deputy Leader of the Labour Party , tried and failed to remove Galloway from the list of prospective parliamentary candidates . Healey lost his motion by 13 votes to five. Galloway once quipped that, to overcome
2639-412: The 25 members in the trade union section supported it. Galloway gained re-selection when challenged by Trish Godman (wife of fellow MP Norman Godman ) in June 1989, but failed to get a majority of the electoral college on the first ballot. This was the worst result for any sitting Labour MP who was reselected, but Galloway gained 62% in total in the final vote. Galloway assured his party there would be
2730-542: The Green Party's decision not to field a candidate may have proved beneficial to the Labour Party. Galloway stated he was aiming to win over Labour voters in order to oust Keir Starmer as Labour leader . Writing in The Guardian , Starmer responded to the result by saying "Labour's back, and the promise of a better future is back too." His Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves , claimed that Starmer's leadership
2821-538: The Iraqi government. However, on 20 June 2003, the Monitor reported that its own investigation had concluded that the documents were sophisticated forgeries. In January 2004, it was reported that documents from Iraq's oil ministry showed that Galloway's Mariam Appeal received money from businessmen who had had allegedly illicitly siphoned profits from the UN oil-for-food program. Galloway said that money had been paid into
Respect Renewal - Misplaced Pages Continue
2912-524: The Kashmir conflict. Labour Friends of India asked the party to withdraw the leaflet immediately. A Labour spokesman said the leaflet emphasised not voting for the Labour candidate "would lead to a Tory MP who would support a Prime Minister who insults Muslim women and calls it a joke, refuses to deal with Islamophobia in his party and fails to speak out on human rights abuses in Kashmir". In response, Labour MP Navendu Mishra accused his own party of having
3003-462: The Labour Party despite calling its leadership a "blood-splattered, lying, crooked group of war criminals". Benn added, "It put me off George Galloway in a fairly fundamental way". Following the 7 July 2005 London bombings , which killed 52 civilians, Galloway linked the attack to Western policies in the Middle East. He said Tony Blair and George W. Bush had "far more blood on their hands" than
3094-541: The Labour Party, with the Batley and Spen CLP waiving the requirement of a year's membership prior to her selection. On 19 May, the Conservative Party announced that it had selected Harewood councillor Ryan Stephenson as its candidate for the by-election. In June 2021, Reform UK announced that they would not stand a candidate in the by-election in a bid to boost the Conservative Party's chances of taking
3185-703: The Labour-held seat. Paul Halloran, a locally well-known Brexit supporter who won over 6,000 votes for the Heavy Woollen District Independents at the previous election, also chose not to stand again, a decision which was expected to favour the Conservative candidate. On 26 May, the Yorkshire Party announced that its members had voted for Corey Robinson, a senior medical research engineer who spent his childhood in
3276-660: The Mariam Appeal by Iraqi businessmen who had profited from the UN-run programme. He stated he had not benefited personally and that there was nothing illicit about the transaction: It is hard to see what is dishonourable, let alone "illicit", about Arab nationalist businessmen donating some of the profits they made from legitimate UN-controlled business with Iraq to anti-sanctions campaigns, as opposed to, say, keeping their profits for themselves. It's equally difficult to understand why The Guardian should put seven of its finest journalists to work roping Tam Dalyell and Albert Reynolds into
3367-522: The Mariam Appeal was undertaking charitable work (and so ought to have registered with the commission), but did not substantiate allegations that any funds had been misused. It emerged some years later that Galloway had appealed in a letter dated 24 April 2003 to Lord Goldsmith , the Attorney-General, to stop the investigation into the Mariam Appeal. According to a report in The Times , after
3458-585: The Member of Parliament for Harrogate and Knaresborough in the 2024 United Kingdom general election . The Greens selected rugby player Ross Peltier on 2 June. He was withdrawn as a candidate following the discovery of offensive tweets sent when he was 19 years old. The Greens then confirmed they would not stand in the by-election. Jayda Fransen , former deputy leader of the far-right group Britain First , announced her intention to stand. "Britain first" were
3549-695: The Members of the Executive [Committee of the Constituency Labour Party] who opposed his selection." She told a journalist from The Guardian : "The quarrel we have is all about accountability, and democracy ... working in harmony, rather than any personal matters." The Labour Party leadership election in 1992 saw Galloway voting for the eventually successful candidates, John Smith for leader and Margaret Beckett as deputy leader. In 1994, after Smith died, Galloway declined to cast
3640-749: The Palestinian West Bank town of Nablus in 1980. In late 1981, Galloway was interviewed for the Scottish Marxist , in which Galloway supported the affiliation of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) to the Labour Party, in the same way as the Fabian Society does. Believing that a deficiency in political theory was being filled by the entryist infiltration of the party by the Trotskyists (such as
3731-442: The Palestinian people ... I thought the president would appreciate knowing that even today, three years after the war, I still meet families who are calling their newborn sons Saddam ... Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability. And I want you to know that we are with you until victory, until victory, until Jerusalem ( hatta al-nasr, hatta al-nasr, hatta al-Quds ). During Galloway's 2004 defamation case against
Respect Renewal - Misplaced Pages Continue
3822-548: The Party." Galloway said he stood by every word of the Abu Dhabi interview. The National Constitutional Committee , responsible for disciplinary matters in the Labour Party, held a hearing on 22 October 2003 to consider the charges, taking evidence from Galloway himself, from other party witnesses, viewing media interviews, and hearing character testimony from former cabinet minister Tony Benn , among others. The following day,
3913-565: The Respect national conference, although the figure was disputed by Chris Harman in the SWP's International Socialism . This split continued with both Respect Renewal and the SWP-led faction claiming to be the real Respect. Respect Renewal, through Linda Smith, had control over the use of the Respect name in elections, while the SWP-led faction used the electoral label Left List , but did control
4004-410: The Workers Party of Britain, and stood unsuccessfully for the party at the 2021 Batley and Spen by-election . Galloway won the 2024 Rochdale by-election . He lost the seat at the 2024 general election . Galloway describes himself as both a socialist and socially conservative . He travelled to Iraq to meet government officials in the 1990s. He caused controversy for praising Saddam Hussein at
4095-623: The battle of Iraq would be very quick and easy. They attacked Iraq like wolves. They attacked civilians. They encountered resistance from Iraqi forces and Iraqi people who are defending their dignity, religion and country ... It is better for Blair and Bush to stop this crime and this catastrophe. ... The best thing British troops can do is to refuse to obey illegal orders. Labour leader Tony Blair said: "His comments were disgraceful and wrong. The National Executive will deal with it". Labour MP Tam Dalyell commented in Galloway's defence: "I think he
4186-514: The best tradition of political show trials". He claimed that other MPs who opposed the war, such as Bob Marshall Andrews and Glenda Jackson , would soon be expelled, but no other MP was expelled from the Labour Party for opposing the Iraq War. Ian McCartney , Labour Party chairman at the time, said Galloway was the only Labour MP who "incited foreign forces to rise up against British troops". Tony Benn questioned why Galloway strove to remain in
4277-589: The candidates participated in an online hustings organised by YorkshireLive : George Galloway, Kim Leadbeater, Corey Robinson (Yorkshire Party candidate), and Ryan Stephenson. On the same day the Bishop of Leeds , Nick Baines , issued a statement distancing the United Benefice of Batley from the candidacy of Jayda Fransen, after campaign literature was distributed showing Fransen holding a white cross outside of St Thomas’s church. On 26 June, Kim Leadbeater
4368-410: The city's West End , an academically selective and non-denominational state school, which became comprehensive in 1973. Galloway played for the school football team as well as for West End United U12s, Lochee Boys Club U16s and St Columba's U18s. In a 2016 New Internationalist interview, Galloway speculated that an incident of sexual abuse from a colonel, which he suffered when he was 12, caused
4459-416: The committee unanimously found Galloway guilty of four of the five charges: inciting Arabs to fight British troops, inciting British troops to defy orders, inciting voters to reject Labour MPs, and threatening to stand against Labour. Galloway was expelled from the Labour Party. Galloway said after his expulsion: "This was a politically motivated kangaroo court whose verdict had been written in advance in
4550-561: The constituency could switch to the Tories in the by-election, given Labour's heavy defeat in the 2021 Hartlepool by-election , where Labour unsuccessfully defended a similar majority. However, Stephen Bush from the New Statesman argued that Labour were in a stronger position in Batley and Spen than in Hartlepool . On 27 May, the writ of election was made, and the election was scheduled for 1 July. The deadline for nominations
4641-422: The constituency did not use the word "Labour" except in the legal imprint, highlighting her name instead. Conservative candidate Ryan Stephenson emphasised his local practical political experience – as a Leeds councillor and director of a West Yorkshire multi-academy trust – to work with the Conservative government effectively, and would be "banging the drum for investment" in
SECTION 50
#17327759413984732-610: The constituency, to be their candidate. On 28 May, the Liberal Democrats announced they would stand community campaigner Jo Conchie as their candidate. On 3 June, Conchie withdrew for health reasons, and was replaced by Tom Gordon , a councillor in Knottingley. Gordon stood as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford at the 2019 general election and would go on to become
4823-579: The constituency. He mostly targeted the voters in the Spen Valley rural towns, away from Batley, who until 1997 held a majority in the constituency for the Conservatives. More than 20 per cent of the electorate are of south Asian origin, and were a major focus of electioneering by Workers Party candidate George Galloway, who concentrated on the issues of the Palestinian territories , the Kashmir conflict , criticism of Labour leader Keir Starmer ,
4914-400: The exception of Cleckheaton , which has Liberal Democrat councillors. In the 2016 EU referendum , Batley and Spen voted 60% in favour of Brexit . Batley and Spen has been represented by a Labour MP since 1997 . Elizabeth Peacock has been the constituency's only Conservative MP, serving from 1983 to 1997. Brabin had held the seat since the 2016 Batley and Spen by-election , which
5005-556: The letter was released under the Freedom of Information Act , Galloway falsely asserted that the appeal "received no money from Iraq". A further Charity Commission Report published on 7 June 2007 found that the appeal had received funds from Fawaz Zureikat that originated from the Oil-for-Food Programme , and concluded that: Although Mr Galloway, Mr Halford and Mr Al-Mukhtar have confirmed that they were unaware of
5096-482: The newly created seat of Dunfermline East , where no incumbent was standing. Galloway failed to be selected for either seat, with Rhondda selecting Allan Rogers , and Dunfermline East selecting future Chancellor of the Exchequer and later Prime Minister, Gordon Brown . Standing as a candidate for a place on the Labour Party National Executive Committee in 1986, in a large field of 18 candidates, Galloway finished in 16th place. From November 1983 to 1987, Galloway
5187-510: The nomination of Ollie Purser to stand on 3 June. Nominations closed on 7 June with 16 candidates. Labour leader Keir Starmer visited the constituency during the campaign on 10 June, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the Fox's Biscuits factory in the constituency on 18 June. Both had made earlier visits as well. On 28 June, Johnson visited the constituency again in a Birstall factory visit. Labour candidate Kim Leadbeater focused on local issues such as crime, green spaces and
5278-420: The original Respect website. Both the Respect Renewal faction, as 'Respect (George Galloway)', and Left List stood in the 2008 London Assembly elections . Neither party won a seat or did as well as Respect did in the 2004 elections , but 'Respect (George Galloway)' outpolled Left List. The split was finally resolved in October 2008, when the Left List ended its claim on the Respect name. The SWP has attributed
5369-490: The party he leads, the Workers Party of Britain , would contest the election. On 27 May, he announced that he would be the Workers Party candidate. On 12 May, The Guardian reported that Jo Cox 's sister, Kim Leadbeater, and former Labour MP Paula Sherriff were among Labour's potential candidates. On 23 May the Labour Party announced that Leadbeater, a personal trainer and Jo Cox Foundation campaigner, would stand as their candidate. Leadbeater had only recently rejoined
5460-432: The party. He was also highly critical of a dog whistle claim, by an anonymous Labour source, that Muslims were angry about "what Keir has been doing on antisemitism". "Given these recent actions," Ali continued, "it is no surprise that many Muslims feel alienated by the Labour Party. Many expect a stronger stance from the Labour leadership on these issues – and rightly so." Some Jewish groups welcomed Galloway's defeat in
5551-405: The people of Iraq. In January 1994, Galloway faced some of his strongest criticism for a Middle Eastern trip, during which he met Saddam Hussein . At his meeting with the Iraqi president, Galloway told Saddam Hussein: Your excellency, Mr President, I greet you in the name of the many thousands of people in Britain who stood against the tide and opposed the war ... I greet you too in the name of
SECTION 60
#17327759413985642-475: The period from the 2001 election until his expulsion from the Labour Party. He was one of several politicians arrested in February 2001 during a protest at the Faslane nuclear base in Scotland, which led to him being convicted of a breach of the peace and fined £180. Writing for The Observer in April 2003, David Aaronovitch speculated that Galloway's support for Ba'athist Iraq and Saddam Hussein may have been based on "the belief that my enemy's enemy
5733-472: The polls. The Jewish Labour Movement called the result a "triumph for hope and decency" over Galloway's "toxic politics". The Jewish Chronicle accused Galloway of running "one of the most tawdry by-election campaigns in memory", and said having him as the MP was "the last thing Batley and Spen needed". Galloway himself vowed to challenge the result on the basis of an alleged "false statement" made about him by Leadbeater and Starmer, which he claimed tipped
5824-400: The poor condition of the roads. She said "I am the only person out of the 16 candidates that lives in Batley and Spen" and "I have a proven track record of getting things done at a local level and an established reputation for working for all parts of the community." She emphasised that the by-election was not a referendum on Labour party leader Keir Starmer. Her large leaflet used in parts of
5915-421: The problems were not all of his own making, his way of dealing with them heightened tensions". At the 1987 general election , Galloway was elected as the MP for Glasgow Hillhead gaining the seat for Labour from the SDP defeating Roy Jenkins with a majority of 3,251 votes. Although known for his left-wing political views, Galloway was never a member of the Campaign Group . In September 1987, Galloway
6006-444: The proceeds of the United Nations (UN) Oil-for-Food Programme . Galloway denied the claims and pointed to the nature of the discovery within an unguarded, bombed-out building as being questionable. He successfully sued the newspaper for libel ( see below ). The Christian Science Monitor also published a story on 25 April 2003, stating that it had documentary evidence that Galloway had received "more than ten million dollars" from
6097-560: The rightwing witch-hunt against me, particularly on the basis of documents that may have been faked or doctored in the forgery capital of the world. In May 2005, before the reports by the US Senate and the UN had been published, The Guardian reporter David Pallister wrote that "despite all the investigations in the Oil-for-Food Programme, no one has ever produced any evidence that Iraqi oil money ended up in Mr Galloway's pocket". 2021 Batley and Spen by-election Tracy Brabin Labour Kim Leadbeater Labour A by-election
6188-406: The safe Labour Gillburn ward in Dundee, being defeated by the independent Bunty Turley. He became the secretary organiser of the Dundee Labour Party in 1977, and at 26, was the youngest ever chairman of the Scottish Labour Party in March 1981, a post he held for a year, after holding the vice-chairman post over the previous year. After a trip to Beirut , Lebanon during 1977, Galloway became
6279-437: The same number of times as Donald Rumsfeld met him," but "The difference is Donald Rumsfeld met him to sell him guns ... I met him to try to bring about an end to sanctions, suffering and war". In 1998, Galloway founded the Mariam Appeal which was intended, according to its website's welcome page in 1999, "to campaign against sanctions on Iraq which are having disastrous effects on the ordinary people of Iraq". The campaign
6370-406: The show to social media platforms. He was a presenter on Russian state media outlet RT from 2013 to 2022, and was a presenter on Iranian state media outlet Press TV . Galloway was born in Dundee, Scotland , to George Galloway Sr., a Scottish trade unionist , and Sheila O'Reilly, a Scot of Irish descent. Initially raised in Lochee , Dundee, he has described himself as "born in an attic in
6461-527: The situation from across the street. Galloway called the accusation "a lie" and condemned the abuse Leadbeater faced. On 27 June, former MP Tracy Brabin and a group of Labour campaigners were attacked by three men. On 28 June, the Labour Party was criticised for distributing a leaflet featuring a photo of Boris Johnson with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi . Critics complained the leaflets were designed to appeal to Muslim voters and to exploit divisions between voters originating from India and Pakistan over
6552-428: The source of Mr Zureikat's donations, the Commission has concluded that the charity trustees should have made further enquiries when accepting such large single and cumulative donations to satisfy themselves as to their origin and legitimacy. The Commission's conclusion is that the charity trustees did not properly discharge their duty of care as trustees to the Appeal in respect of these donations ... The Commission
6643-489: The split within Respect to a shift to the right by George Galloway and his allies, motivated by electoralism (placing election-winning above other principles). This, according to the SWP leadership, led to attacks on the SWP as the most prominent left group in Respect. This interpretation of events is countered by Respect Renewal, which criticises the SWP for opportunism and lack of democracy. George Galloway [REDACTED] George Galloway (born 16 August 1954)
6734-429: The suspension of a teacher for showing a cartoon of Muhammad at Batley Grammar School and the reopening of a police station in Batley. Historically this community were strong supporters of the Labour Party, but there has been discontent at the waiving of Labour party rules to allow Leadbeater to be the only local candidate in the selection process, excluding local councillors from the community. On 23 June, four of
6825-518: The terrorists who carried out the bombings, and called President Bush the world's "biggest terrorist". On 22 April 2003, The Daily Telegraph published news articles and comment describing documents found by its reporter David Blair in the ruins of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry. The documents purported to be records of meetings between Galloway and Iraqi intelligence agents, and they stated that he had received £375,000 per year from
6916-569: The vice-president of the Stop the War Coalition in 2001. Actively involved, he often delivered speeches from StWC platforms at anti-war demonstrations. After permission for a rally in Hyde Park during the international anti-war protests on 15 February 2003 was initially refused, Galloway said the government had a choice between "half a million people at the rally or half a million people in
7007-586: The words used by the murderer of Cox, although the organisation denied any connection to themselves. Fransen had previously stood as a candidate for the seat of Rochester and Strood in Kent, the London Assembly in 2016, and the Scottish Parliament in 2021. The Christian Peoples Alliance (CPA) confirmed the nomination of Paul Bickerdike on 3 June. The Social Democratic Party confirmed
7098-609: The youngest ever chair of the Scottish Labour Party in 1981, he was general secretary of the charity War on Want from 1983 until his election as MP for Glasgow Hillhead at the 1987 general election ; he was re-elected three times. He was expelled from the Labour Party in 2003 due to his prominent opposition to the Iraq War . Galloway joined the Respect Party in 2004, and was its leader from 2013 to 2016. He
7189-499: Was 7 June. The deadline for postal vote applications, and changes to existing postal and proxy votes, was 15 June. The deadline for new proxy vote applications was 16 June. When the result of the West Yorkshire mayoral election was announced on 9 May 2021, Bob Buxton, Yorkshire Party leader and unsuccessful mayoral candidate, announced that his party would contest the by-election. On 10 May, George Galloway tweeted that
7280-657: Was asked by a journalist about his relationship to a woman during the 1986 War on Want conference on the Greek island of Mykonos . Galloway admitted having an extra-marital affair, saying: I travelled to, and spent time in, Greece with lots of people, many of whom were women, some of whom were known carnally to me. I actually had sexual intercourse with some of the people in Greece. And if the British public and BBC Scotland think that's of interest they are welcome to broadcast it. As
7371-571: Was called after the murder of Jo Cox , the seat's incumbent MP. At the 2019 general election , the Labour majority in the constituency decreased significantly, with a 12.8% drop in vote share by comparison with the 2017 result. On 6 May 2021, Brabin won the inaugural election for the Mayor of West Yorkshire . She was appointed Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds on 10 May, vacating her Commons seat. Brabin expressed concern
7462-526: Was critical of perceived British pretensions in the world. He took his mother's side in arguments, and has been a long-time supporter of Sinn Féin and Irish reunification . David Morley , his biographer, has written that people who knew both father and son have said that they had Marxist opinions common in the local Labour Party movement of the time. Galloway grew up in Charleston, Dundee , and attended Charleston Primary and then Harris Academy , in
7553-525: Was criticised for spending Christmas in Iraq with Tariq Aziz , who was Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister at the time. In a 17 May 2005 hearing of the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Galloway stated that he had many meetings with Aziz, and characterised their relationship as friendly. In all, he has admitted to more than 10 meetings with Aziz. During
7644-423: Was elected as MP for Bethnal Green and Bow at the 2005 general election . After losing in the neighbouring constituency of Poplar and Limehouse at the 2010 general election , he regained a parliamentary seat at the 2012 Bradford West by-election , only to lose it at the 2015 general election . He unsuccessfully stood as an independent candidate at the 2017 and 2019 general elections . Galloway then founded
7735-477: Was heckled and chased by a group of men while campaigning, after being questioned about her support for LGBT rights and her party's position on Kashmir . The man who challenged her claimed to be speaking on behalf of Muslim parents in the region and had led protests against LGBT-inclusive teaching at schools in Birmingham . During an interview following the incident, Leadbeater accused Galloway of laughing at
7826-481: Was held in the UK parliamentary constituency of Batley and Spen on 1 July 2021, following the resignation of the previous Member of Parliament (MP) Tracy Brabin , who was elected Mayor of West Yorkshire on 10 May. Under the devolution agreement, the position holds the powers and responsibilities of a police and crime commissioner , meaning the occupant of the office cannot simultaneously sit as an MP. The by-election
7917-487: Was named after Mariam Hamza, a child flown by the fund from Iraq to Britain to receive treatment for leukaemia . The intention was to raise awareness of the suffering and death of hundreds of thousands of other Iraqi children, due to poor health conditions and lack of suitable medicines and facilities, and to campaign for the lifting of the Iraq sanctions that many maintained were responsible for that situation. In 1999, Galloway
8008-556: Was the beginning of a dispute within Respect between Galloway and his supporters and the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) on the other side. On 3 November 2007, Galloway's camp announced plans to hold the Respect Renewal conference on 17 November, the same day as the planned national conference of Respect. The Respect Renewal conference was an open event and organisers claim 350 people attended, comparable with
8099-484: Was the fourth of the 58th Parliament , elected in 2019. Kim Leadbeater held the seat for the Labour Party with a reduced majority of 323 votes. Batley and Spen is a predominantly working-class constituency in the Pennines at the centre of West Yorkshire . Considered to be part of the " red wall ", Batley and Spen has been held by Labour since the 1997 general election . The seat's largest town, Batley , has
8190-547: Was the general secretary of War on Want , a British charity campaigning against poverty worldwide. In this post he travelled widely, and wrote eye-witness accounts of the famine in Eritrea in 1985 which were published in The Sunday Times and The Spectator . His deputy at the charity, Simon Stocker, recalled: "If you went into a fight with George, you knew you would never walk out with a win." On 28 October 1986,
8281-480: Was the key factor to Leadbeater's victory, telling Sky News , "Keir will take us into the next election and I believe that result, in the early hours of Friday morning, is the start of more victories for Labour." Ronan Burtenshaw, editor of Tribune magazine , denied there was any cause for major celebration and insisted that "the result is clearly a shot in the arm for the party's beleaguered leadership." He went on to say, "Keir Starmer won his position as leader on
#397602