Former Respect MP expelled from the Labour party in 2003 expected to put himself forward as a candidate
George Galloway was back on the campaign trail on Tuesday , announcing that he was "almost certain" to stand in the forthcoming Bradford West byelection.
The former Respect MP, who was expelled from the Labour party in 2003, stood on the steps of Bradford City Hall and said he had come to test the water.
He said "the chances" were that he would stand in the poll. The byelection is expected to take place within the next month. "I'm here to take the temperature in the city. I'm finding it warm and sunny so far. By the end of the day I'll have a better picture, but the chances are that if and when the House of Commons declares the byelection … then I will be candidate for Respect in the Bradford West constituency," he said.
Galloway, a former Labour MP for Glasgow, was expelled from the party for comments that he had made about the war in Iraq. He returned to the Commons in 2005 when he won the Bethnal Green seat for the Respect party, which he co-founded. A year later he made an infamous appearance on the television series Celebrity Big Brother.
He failed to get elected, however, when he stood in Poplar and Limehouse in the 2010 general election.
The Bradford West byelection was triggered after Labour backbencher Marsha Singh announced he was resigning due to serious health problems. Singh had represented Bradford West, a Labour stronghold, since 1997.