George Galloway announces bid to be Manchester MP
The firebrand politician wants to win the "mother of all victories" against Labour in a seat it has held for more than 80 years.
Tuesday 21 March 2017 14:01, UK
George Galloway has announced he is standing for election in Manchester Gorton, denouncing Labour's "all-Asian short-list" as an "insult to local communities".
The controversial former Labour and Respect MP said forcing Labour from the seat it has held for more than 80 years would be "the mother of all victories".
The by-election has been triggered by the , who won at the general election in 2015 with a margin of 24,000 votes.
Announcing his candidacy, he accused Labour of overlooking better candidates to draw up the short list of five ethnic minority contenders.
He said: "The 'All-Asian short-list' hand-picked by Keith Vaz is just not good enough for the people of Gorton, one of the most deprived constituencies in Britain.
"The short-listing, which excluded many better candidates, is the latest in a long line of insults delivered by mainstream parties to local communities."
Mr Galloway fought a at the 2015 general election.
He accused her of lying about her forced marriage, in return she accused him of being underhanded. Both reported each other to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
He was also accused of anti-Semitism and was reported to police for tweeting an exit poll on polling day suggesting he had won.
Mr Galloway lost his seat, with Ms Shah winning by 11,000 votes, but said he would mount a legal challenge.
He never did and went on to run for London mayor, without success.
Writing on the Westmonster eurosceptic website, Mr Galloway conceded he was not a "local" candidate but said his links with Manchester were strong: his children lived there and he had been friends with Sir Gerald for more than 30 years.
He said: "I am not a local councillor any more than Sir Gerald was. I am a parliamentarian as he was a parliamentarian. I will be heard if you elect me, on matters local national and international."
He added: "It's true I'm not local but then neither was Sir Matt Busby. Neither was Sir Alex Ferguson nor Pep Guardiola nor Jose Mourinho. Like them I want to work for you, for Gorton, for Manchester."
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "His decision to enter the race is yet another consequence of the chronic splits and weak leadership in the Labour Party.
"People in Manchester want change, they deserve better than a failed politician and a failing Labour Party."
On Labour's shortlist for the by-election are North West MEP Afzal Khan and city councillors Yasmine Dar, Amina Lone, Luthfur Rahman and Nasrin Ali.
Entrepreneur Jess Mayo will be running for the Green Party, which came second in 2015, the Liberal Democrat candidate is the councillor Jackie Pearcey.
Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley called Mr Galloway a "burnt-out Brexiteer" who offered "nothing but an overinflated ego to the people of Manchester Gorton".
The Conservatives and UKIP have yet to name their candidates. A date has not yet been set for the by-election.