Rochdale by-election: George Galloway only won because Labour ditched candidate, says Starmer
Left-wing firebrand George Galloway only won the Rochdale by-election because Labour ditched its candidate, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
Apologising to voters in the Greater Manchester seat, the opposition leader insisted it was the "right decision" for the party to withdraw its support for Azhar Ali after he became engulfed in an antisemitism row.
Sir Keir vowed to field a "unifier" as a candidate for the seat in the upcoming general election.
His comments came after Mr Galloway made a political comeback by taking Rochdale for the Workers Party of Britain with almost 40% of the vote - following a campaign dogged by controversy and dominated by the Israel-Hamas war.
The former Labour MP and Celebrity Big Brother contestant, who secured a majority of 5,697 on a turnout of 39.7%, dedicated his victory to Gaza and claimed the Labour leader had "sold his soul to the Israel lobby".
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Pressed over whether he accepted it was Labour's fault the divisive politician was returning to the Commons, Sir Keir said: "Galloway only won because Labour didn't stand a candidate.
"I regret that we had to withdraw our candidate, I apologise to voters in Rochdale, but I took that decision - it was the right decision - and when I say I've changed the Labour Party, I mean it.
"Obviously, we will put a first-class candidate, a unifier before the voters in Rochdale at the general election."
Mr Galloway had campaigned heavily on the plight of Palestinians in Gaza, courting the Muslim vote in Rochdale.
In his victory speech, he said: "Keir Starmer - this is for Gaza. And you will pay a high price, in enabling, encouraging and covering for, the catastrophe presently going on in occupied Palestine in the Gaza strip."
He added: "This is going to spark a movement, a landslide, a shifting of the tectonic plates in scores of parliamentary constituencies.
"Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak are two cheeks of the same backside and they both got well and truly spanked tonight."
Speaking to Sky News later, he said no state, including Israel, had a right to exist, as he defended his use of the slogan "from the river to the sea".
Mr Galloway said: "What is objectionable about people being free between a river and sea?"
The phrase is viewed by some pro-Israel supporters as calling for the eradication of the Israeli state.
Pro-Palestinian supporters reject this, saying it is expressing the need for equality for all inhabitants of historic Palestine.
Asked if he did not want Israel to exist, Mr Galloway told Sky News: "Well, no state has a right to exist.
"Not the Soviet Union, not Czechoslovakia, not the Zionist apartheid state of Israel."
Speaking ahead of an appearance at the Scottish Conservative conference, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "It was very concerning to see the reports of intimidation through the by-election, and by all accounts one of the most divisive campaigns that we've seen in recent times.
"I'm pleased the Conservative Party was the only party to run a really positive campaign focused on local issues with a great local candidate, Paul Ellison."
Meanwhile the Board of Deputies of British Jews condemned Mr Galloway as a "conspiracy theorist", and described his victory as "a dark day for the Jewish community in this country and for British politics in general."
Labour had been expected to win the by-election, which was triggered by the death of Labour MP Tony Lloyd, until its campaign was thrown into turmoil by a leaked recording of Mr Ali making controversial remarks about Israel.
He remained listed as the Labour candidate as the party's decision to withdraw support came too late for ballot papers to be changed.
Independent candidate and local businessman David Tully was the surprise runner-up, followed by Mr Ellison for the Conservatives, with Mr Ali in fourth place.
Reform UK candidate Simon Danczuk, who previously represented the seat as a Labour MP but was barred from the party in 2017 after apologising for sending "inappropriate" text messages to a 17-year-old girl, finished in sixth place behind the Liberal Democrats.
