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The clock had not but struck 3am when a grinning George Galloway once more took to the centre stage of a by-election consequence, this time in Rochdale.
Clearly hyped up, Britain’s latest MP gently moved down the 2 podium microphones earlier than launching a proud victory speech with the phrases “Keir Starmer”, adopted by a rehearsed tirade towards Labour’s chief over his stance on the Israel-Hamas battle.
Not a throw of orange confetti or the heckling from Just Stop Oil protester might cease the four-times married MP from savouring the second in entrance of the cameras after trouncing the established political events.
Yet if this extraordinary flip of occasions didn’t appear new, it was as a result of it wasn’t.
This was his seventh parliamentary victory in 4 cities for 3 events throughout 4 a long time. The constituency-hopping campaigner is no doubt a grasp of successful by-elections, managing to fire up native help in areas hit by political bedlam.
A smiling George Galloway takes goal at Labour chief Sir Keir Starmer after being elected as Rochdale MP
(PA)
But together with his plain political success additionally comes large controversy.
And whereas the 69-year-old’s return to Westminster will carry nightmares to Sir Keir, together with different main political figures, his resurgence will carry to his identify extra shame, or glory, relying on the way you see it.
Here we have a look at Mr Galloway’s craziest moments:
Saddam Hussein
It was simply 4 years after the Gulf War, sparked by Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, when Mr Galloway met Saddam Hussein in 1994.
During the heavily-criticised assembly with Iraq’s then chief he was recorded telling the dictator: “Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability”.
George Galloway sits with Saddam Hussein in a gathering with the Iraqi dictator condemned by many within the West
(INA/AFP through Getty Images)
And his excursions to the area led to him being dubbed the “member for Baghdad Central” from some quarters.
Mr Galloway would later seem an a High Court listening to the place he was accused of defending Saddam over a chemical weapons bloodbath of Kurdish folks in 1988. “How dare you,” he shouted throughout the court docket room in 2012.
And when questioned concerning the reward he gave to Saddam, he mentioned he had been referring to the braveness of the Iraqi folks, and never the dictator.
Big Brother
It was a shock when Mr Galloway’s identify appeared on collection 4 of Celebrity Big Brother in 2006 – however maybe not as a lot as for the scenes that adopted.
In one totally weird scene, the ex MP was dressed up in a cat leotard as he playfully nibbled the arms of actress Rula Lenska. The politician additionally purred as one other housemate scratched behind his ears earlier than the TV cameras.
George Galloway pretends to be a cat in an notorious clip from Celebrity Big Brother in 2006
(Big Brother)
While the stunt made viewers cringe, it has gone down in historical past as one of the vital iconic moments on the tv collection.
And that wasn’t the one second that shocked viewers with Mr Galloway going face to face with former tv star Michael Barrymore.
Mr Barrymore, who was showing on the present after his fall from grace following the dying of Stuart Lubbock at his home in 2001, fell out with the MP over a job. Mr Galloway appeared to make a joke over his reported alcohol dependancy.
Mr Galloway shouted to Barrymore: “Poor me, poor me, poor me, pour me a drink.”
Gorgeous George
Today, Mr Galloway cuts an elderly determine. The spectacled MP gave up cigars years in the past and wears a fedora hat after accidents suffered in an attack in Notting Hill a decade in the past.
But return almost 1 / 4 of a century, and he was dubbed “Gorgeous George”.
The nickname stemmed from boasts he made of getting intercourse with ladies throughout a convention in Mykonos, Greece, shortly after first turning into an MP for Labour within the Glasgow Hillhead seat.
Mr Galloway was dubbed ‘Gorgeous George’ for his boasts of sleeping with ladies at a convention in Greece shortly after first being elected
(Independent)
He mentioned: “I travelled and spent lots of time with people in Greece, 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.”
Sacked by Talk Radio
Galloway clearly enjoys being within the media highlight – however at TalkRadio in 2019, his feedback on a hyperlink between Tottenham Hotspur and Israel triggered outrage with criticism led by the soccer membership.
It got here after he mentioned Liverpool’s victory over Tottenham Hotspur within the Champions League closing meant there could be “no Israel flags on the cup”.
Tottenham hit again with a press release calling for him to be sacked. It mentioned: “It’s astounding in this day and age to read such blatant antisemitism published on a social platform by someone who is still afforded air time on a radio station on which he has previously broken broadcast impartiality rules.”
Not lengthy later, the radio station sacked Mr Galloway, who had introduced a Friday night time programme referred to as The Mother of All Talk Shows since 2016.
On social media, Mr Galloway mentioned he had been given a “red card” from the broadcaster for “over-celebrating” Liverpool’s Championship win.
