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More than 30 years after he was first elected to Parliament, George Galloway returns to Parliament following a landslide victory in Rochdale.
His win for the seat, announced around 3am this morning, comes after a controversial and polarizing campaign.
This is not just a warning to Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer, but to mainstream politics as a whole.
The major parties suffered the painful result that their candidates’ vote totals were dwarfed by the amount of support they received from outliers and independents.
Recent by-elections have seen battles unfold between Labor, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives. This time they followed.
When Mr Galloway announced his candidacy, it was expected that his presence would cause difficulties for Labor against the backdrop of heightened political tensions over the war in Gaza.
The British Labor Party leader is a controversial politician who once served as a Labor MP and has long campaigned on Middle East-related issues relevant to constituencies with large Muslim populations. He pushed the message that Labor was failing Muslim voters this time.
After his victory, Mr Galloway directly told the Labor leader: “This is for Gaza” and warned Mr Starmer that he would “pay a high price” for his stance on the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
It is difficult to know how Labor would have fared against Mr Galloway if it had fielded a strong candidate and campaigned.
The party’s decision to withdraw its support for candidate Azhar Ali following revelations suggesting Israeli complicity in the October 7 Hamast terrorist attack undoubtedly influenced the final outcome.
Support for Ali, who was the favorite to win, declined and he fell to fourth place.
The party claimed Mr Galloway won because Labor did not stand up and, while apologizing to the Rochdale community, said the new MP was “only interested in stirring up fear and division”.
But the result will raise private concerns among the public about whether the debate within the Labor Party over its stance on an immediate ceasefire in Gaza will influence the vote.
It was also impressive that David Tully, a local businessman with no political experience, became the unexpected runner-up.
It’s rare for an independent candidate to garner so much support, but Mr. Tully came in second place, ahead of the major parties.
He received 6,638 votes, more than the Conservative and former Labor candidates combined, showing how many voters yearned for an alternative to the mainstream.
Conservative candidate Paul Ellison came third with 3,731 votes, Mr Ali came fourth with 2,402 votes and Liberal Democrat Ian Donaldson came fifth with 2,164 votes. Reform was ranked 6th.
The result is an unusual level of support for outliers and independents, as well as a rejection of the parties that have come to dominate such races.
But it also shows that conflicts overseas and the debates surrounding them still have the potential to cause significant disruption to domestic politics here in the UK.
result
George Galloway (British Labor Party) 12,335
David Tully (Independent) 6,638
Paul Ellison (Conservative Party) 3,731
Azhar Ali (Labor Party) 2,402
Ian Donaldson (Liberal Democrat) 2,164
Simon Danczuk (Reform) 1,968
William Howarth (Independent) 523
Mark Coleman (Independent) 455
Guy Otten (Green) 436
Michael Howarth (Independent) 246
Ravin Rodent Subotna (Monster Raving Looney) 209