galloway
Galloway announces WPGB will ‘contest every seat’ in next general election
Wide array of candidates includes cricketing star, former Labour councillors and Asian ex-UKIP MEP
George Galloway celebrating his Rochdale by-election win
Rochdale MP George Galloway is holding a press conference in Parliament Square, at the time of writing, to announce the selection of hundreds of Workers Party (WPGB) parliamentary candidates and that WPGB plans to “contest every seat in Great Britain” at the next general election.
Galloway will be flanked by over 150 new WPGB parliamentary candidates – including former England cricketer Monty Panesar, former UKIP MEP Amjad Bashir and several former Labour councillors.
Skwawkbox understands that Galloway has told a number of socialist MPs that WPGB will not stand against them – but that former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, who is considered by many to have reinforced the antisemitism smear campaign against the left and who undermined Labour disastrously under Jeremy Corbyn on the issue of a second Brexit referendum, is among WPGB’s targets.
The list of candidates is below.
SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you’d like to help it keep revealing the news as it is and not what the Establishment wants you to hear – and can afford to without hardship – please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep doing its job.
If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.
A list of the planned election candidates for Galloway’s WP:
Barking – Hamid Shah
Battersea – Hazel James
Bexleyheath and Crayford – James Mutimer
Brent East – Raj Gill
Brent West – Nadia Klock
Brentford and Isleworth – Nisar Malik – former Labour councillor
Bromley and Biggin Hill – Eileen Mahony
Carshalton and Wallington – Dr Mian Faisal Akbar
Chingford and Woodford Green – Yousaff Khan
Croydon West – John Kouten
Dagenham and Rainham – Iqbal Sheikh
Dulwich and West Norwood – Zhafaran Malik Qayum
Ealing North – Sameh Habeeb – former Independent PPC, now joined Workers Party
Ealing Central and Acton – Nada Jarche
Ealing Southall – Mudhsuden Singh “Monty” Panesar – legendary Cricketer
Edmonton and Winchmore Hill – Seton During
Enfield North – Aishat Anifowoshe
Enfield Southgate – Adeel Ahmed
Erith and Thamesmead – Anthony Williams
Finchley and Golders Green – Mez Roth
Feltham and Heston – Cllr Amrit Mann – defecting Labour councillor
Hackney North and Stoke Newington – we will support Diane Abbott MP should she seek re-election as an Independent
Hackney South and Shoreditch – Leon Eshuru
Hampstead and Highgate – Ghias Ahmed
Hammersmith and Chiswick – Hassan Chahin Sabbir
Harrow East – Sarraj Farwani
Harrow West – Zulkiple Husin
Hayes and Harlington – Rizwana Karim
Hendon – Rasheed Sarpong
Hornsey and Friern Barnet – Dino Philippos
Ilford North – Shabaz Hussain
Ilford South – Golam Tipu
Islington North – we will support Jeremy Corbyn MP should he seek re-election as an Independent
Islington South and Finsbury – Nasreen Najeeb
Kensington and Bayswater – Garry Cattle
Kingston and Surbiton – Ali Abdulla
Mitcham and Morden – Mehmood Jamshed
Lewisham West and East Dulwich – Gwenton Sloley
Leyton and Wanstead – Adeel Ahmed Iqbal
Poplar and Limehouse – Kamran Khan
Romford – Asim Muhammad
Richmond Park – Kadira Tas
Queen’s Park and Maida Vale – Irakli Menabde
Southgate and Wood Green – Christopher Menon
Stratford and Bow – Halima Khan
Streatham and Croydon North – Mohammad Sherwani
Sutton and Cheam – Bert Schouwenburg
Tooting – Tarik Hussein
Tottenham – Jennifer Obaseki
Twickenham – Umair Malik
Uxbridge and South Ruislip – Steve Blewitt
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green – Darren Jones
Walthamstow – Imran Arshad
West Ham and Beckton – Hassan Morsy
Wimbledon – Aaron Mafi
Bethnal Green and Stepney – we will support Mohammad Akunjee who is standing as an Independent
Holborn and St Pancras – we will support Andrew Feinstein should he choose to run as an Independent
East Ham – we will support Tahir Mirza who is standing as a Newham Independent
Workers Party of Britain – North West Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (Wave 1)
as of 30th April 2024
Ashton-under-Lyne – Aroma Hassan
Bury North – Shafat Ali
Stalybridge and Hyde – Audel Shirin
Stockport – Ayesha Khan
Manchester Central – Chris Turner
Blackburn – Craig Murray – former British ambassador
Rochdale – George Galloway MP – Party Leader
Bolton South and Walkden – Jack Khan – former Labour Councillor
Wythenshawe and Sale East – John Barstow
Hazel Grove – Johnny Sheen
Wigan – Nasri Barghouti – of the Barghouti family
Oldham East and Saddleworth – Shanaz Siddique
Cheadle – Tanya Manzoor
Liverpool Garston – we will support Sam Gorst who is standing as a Liverpool Community Independent
Liverpool Wavertree – we will support nurse Ann San who is standing as an Independent
Stretford and Urmston – Dr Kalima Choudhury
Crewe and Nantwich – Phillip Lane
Fylde – Robert William Perks
Hyndburn – Matthew Britcliffe
Westmorland and Lonsdale – Garry Cattle Boon
Whitehaven and Workington – Derek Ray
Sefton Central – Gareth O’Leary
Wallasey – Philip Anthony Bimpson
Knowsley – Graham Padden
Liverpool West Derby – Mohamed El-Gadhy
Workers Party of Britain – North East Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (Wave 1)
as of 30th April 2024
Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West – we will support Yvonne Ridley who is standing as an Independent
Stockton West – Natalie Potter
Blaydon and Consett – Mark Logan
Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor – Minhajul Suhon
Hartlepool – Thomas Dudley
Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend – Muhammed Ghori
Tynemouth – William George Jarrett
Workers Party of Britain – Yorkshire Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (Wave 1)
as of 30th April 2024
Bradford South – Harry Boota – former UKIP candidate
Colne Valley – Adam Steel
Spen Valley – Terrance Sankarsingh
Keighley and Ilkley – Vasim Shabir
Leeds West and Pudsey – Amjad Bashir
Dewsbury and Batley – Arshad Ali
York Central – John Lavender
Kingston upon Hull East – John Paul Stonehouse
Workers Party of Britain – West Midlands Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (Wave 1)
as of 30th April 2024
Tipton and Wednesbury – Abdul Husen
Dudley – Aftab Hussein
Rugby – Paul Paphiti
Stoke-on-Trent North – Carla Elizabeth Parrish
Telford – Allan Bailey
Coventry South – Dr Mohammed Ali Syed
Aldridge-Brownhills – Hamza Muhammad Ahmed Ibrahim
Coventry East – Paul Bedson
Burton and Uttoxeter – Zahid Mahmood
Kingswinford and South Staffordshire – George V Price
Nuneaton – Khalil Ahmed
Redditch – Mohammed Amin
Stafford – Allan Vernon Gray
West Bromwich – Rohim Mohammed
Birmingham Yardley – Mohammed Shuhel Miah
Workers Party of Britain – East Midlands Prospective Parliamentary Candidates
as of 30th April 2024
Derby South – Chris Williamson – former Labour MP
Leicester South – we will support Shockat Patel who is running as an Independent
Corby and East Northamptonshire – Callan Barrett Page
Derby North – Imran Hamid
Mid Derbyshire – Josiah Uche
Lincoln – Linda Richardson
Bolsover – Jack Evans
North West Leicestershire – Jevan Heatherley
Broxtowe – Syed Maqsood
Kettering – Thomas Dudfield
Northampton North – Khalid Razzaq
Leicester East – we will support Claudia Webbe MP if she runs again as an Independent
South Northamptonshire – Mick Stott
Workers Party of Britain – South West Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (Wave 1)
as of 30th April 2024
North East Somerset and Hanham – Kathleen Haskard
Glastonbury and Somerton – Angela Henderson
Torbay – Paul Moor
Weston-super-Mare – Paul David Spencer
Plymouth Sutton and Devonport – Dr Guy Haywood
Yeovil – Nidal Shah
Bournemouth East – Dr Wayne Adlem
Chippenham – Jubin Jomon
Bristol South – Joji Mathew
Forest of Dean – Nicola Aylin Duke
Workers Party of Britain – South East Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (Wave 1)
as of 30th April 2024
Hove and Portslade – we will support Tanushka Marah who is standing as an Independent
Aylesbury – Jan Gajdos
Brighton Pavilion – Don Goghrod
Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven – Elaine Ghoneim
Havant – Jennifer Alemanno
Gillingham and Rainham – Laid Ghellab
Rochester and Strood – John Innes
Slough – Khalid Kazim
Crawley – Linda Bamieh
Romsey and Southampton North – Sahrae Cunio
Bracknell – Samuel Munyeza
Spelthorne – Umair Malik
Epsom and Ewell – Ahsan Ulah
Workers Party of Britain – East Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (Wave 1)
as of 30th April 2024
Mid Norfolk – Simon Blackwell
North West Norfolk – Karl Wilkin
South West Hertfordshire – Muhammed Pervez Khan
Harpenden and Berkhamsted – Sina Gharib
Chelmsford – Mark Kenlen
Workers Party of Britain – Wales Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (Wave 1)
as of 30th April 2024
Bangor Aberconwy – John Malcolm Humberstone
Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare – Anthony Cole
Llanelli – David Mark Evans
Torfaen – Mohd Najmul Alam Shabuj
Dwyfor Meirionnydd – Tomas Owen
Cardiff West – Akil Kata
Alyn and Deeside – Taghrid Al-Mawed
Workers Party of Britain – Scotland Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (Wave 1)
as of 30th April 2024
Gordon and Buchan – Craig Proctor
Glasgow South – Nick Stewart
Glasgow East – Maximilian Owen
Livingston – Danielle Mclean
Mid Dunbartonshire – Kevin Riley
Paisley and Renfrewshire North – Majd Eddin Bashar Helmi
Aberdeen North – Neil Healy
Glenrothes and Mid Fife – William Alexander Rankine
North East Fife – Andrew Strachan
Craig Murray selected to stand for Workers Party in Blackburn
Left-wing former ambassador will stand at next general election
Former UK ambassador Craig Murray has been selected by the Workers’ Party GB to stand as its candidate in Blackburn at the next general election.
Murray, who has been targeted by UK security services for standing up for human rights in Palestine and against corruption in the UK and was removed by the government from his ambassador role for objecting to the use of intelligence obtained by torture, runs a well-known left-wing news site. Like party leader George Galloway, he is a Scot.
He was jailed for eight months in 2021, serving half the sentence before release, after a farcical conviction in a Scottish court for supposed ‘jigsaw identification’, even though so-called ‘mainstream’ media had actually identified the person involved and Murray had not. Alba Party MP Kenny MacAskill called Murray’s sentencing:
vindictive and a sad day for Scottish justice.
The Blackburn seat is currently held by Labour. The seat has a similar demographic to nearby Rochdale, which was won last month in a landslide by Galloway.
SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you’d like to help it keep revealing the news as it is and not what the Establishment wants you to hear – and can afford to without hardship – please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep doing its job.
If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.
Far-right Bannon endorses Starmer
Less than a week after Labour tried to use comments by BNP’s Nick Griffin to smear George Galloway, Starmer receives his own extremist – and criminal – endorsement
Last week, Labour talking heads and supporters tried to tarnish George Galloway’s landslide win in the Rochdale by-election by pointing out that the BNP’s far-right figure Nick Griffin had spoken positively about Galloway’s win. Galloway, known for taking no nonsense from interviewers, pointed out that he has no control over what people say, but this did not deter desperate Starmeroids from using the tactic.
Today, news has broken that Keir Starmer has been endorse by US far-right figure Steve Bannon, the architect of Trumpianism and a convicted criminal, who said he is ‘very impressed’ by Starmer. Right…
Bannon also infamously talked of Trump ‘declaring victory’ despite losing the 2020 presidential election – and appeared to allude to the storming of the Capitol by a right-wing mob:
Unsurprisingly, the so-called ‘mainstream’ media hasn’t leaped to the obvious conclusion that if Galloway is bad because a right-wing extremist spoke positively about him, then presumably Keir Starmer – endorsed by someone arguably far worse – is, too.
But grassroots commentators are enjoying much merriment at yet another smear blowing up in the face of Starmer and his acolytes – and with far more justification, given Starmer’s extreme affinity for police state laws, assaults on democracy and genocide.
SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you’d like to help it keep revealing the news as it is and not what the Establishment wants you to hear – and can afford to without hardship – please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep doing its job.
If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.
Starmer challenger calls for new left mass movement outside Labour Party
Former ANC MP and arms trade campaigner will address activists from around UK tomorrow at Collective launch – and poses real threat to friend-of-genocide ‘Labour’ leader
Andrew Feinstein, former ANC MP under Nelson Mandela and leading critic of the global arms trade, will use a speech this weekend to endorse a new political alliance billed as the foundation of the first organised mass movement of the left outside of the Labour Party.
Feinstein’s speech will be the centrepiece of a conference called by dozens of former Labour councillors and other independent candidates. The event will take place in ‘Labour’ leader Keir Starmer’s home constituency of Holborn and St Pancras in London.
Feinstein, who has lived in the constituency for more than two decades since moving to the UK, has already signalled his willingness to stand against Starmer as an independent candidate and has been selected as candidate by the OCISA anti-Starmer group, attracting a groundswell of support both locally and nationally.
Local campaigners say there is real vulnerability in Starmer’s majority, established under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the party, especially given the controversies embroiling Labour over the war in Gaza. Starmer looks even more vulnerable after yesterday’s landslide victory for Workers Party GB leader George Galloway in Rochdale and the collapse of Labour’s vote from over 50% to less than 8%, with Starmer’s support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza a major driver.
The new movement – dubbed ‘Collective’ – has been established following months of deliberation amongst grassroots campaign groups and prospective independent candidates for both council and parliamentary elections. Though it is not establishing a new party in time to contest this year’s election, it intends to do so onceit has grown a mass membership base.
Feinstein said:
It’s not just Labour Party members who were the victims of Starmer’s entirely fictitious campaign for leadership of the party. The people of Holborn and St Pancras also elected him twice on a socialist platform under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. Having lived in the constituency for over 20 years, I’ve been overwhelmed by the support and strength of feeling amongst local communities – and across the country – who are crying out for a response to the deeply corrupt, anti-democratic and out of touch Labour Party under Starmer. Under his leadership, the party has now completely abandoned working people and marginalised communities in an escalating effort to out-Tory the Tories.
But this election must do more than just provide an alternative to the pro-genocide, pro-austerity Sunak-Starmer circus. It must also mark the beginnings of a new mass movement of working people that can challenge the Westminster bubble once and for all. That’s why I’m proud to be joining Collective which is uniting sections of the left and will eventually transform into a new political party backed by an organised and democratic movement.
Feinstein also clarified regarding his parliamentary candidacy;
I have not declared that I am definitely standing. I’ve indicated my willingness to do so but am still consulting widely inside and outside the constituency.
Second, I believe that a new grassroots movement, built out of the extraordinary solidarity for Gaza, a rejection of permanent austerity, and the sclerotic, corrupt and elitist nature of establishment politics, is essential. The form that takes will be decided amongst people at the grassroots – a movement for the people, of the people and by the people.
Saturday’s event is about the councillors who have taken a stand against the indefensible role that the UK government and the Labour Party have taken in support of the genocide in Gaza.
Collective spokesperson Pamela Fitzpatrick, independent candidate for Harrow West:
Our political system – and now the Labour Party itself – is fundamentally anti-democratic and rigged against new parties, especially on the left. The only way to address this is to build a mass movement outside of the Labour Party as a foundation for a new political party that is truly free of vested interests and which can offer a real alternative to the pro-austerity and pro-war two party system. All around the country, independent candidates have and are coming forward to fight this election on a common platform calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, a real pay rise and decent housing for all, higher taxes for the rich, an end to privatisation of the NHS, and an end to unnecessary and unjust war. That is the foundation which Collective will build on, and eventually transform into a political party that will change the face of British politics.
SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you’d like to help it keep revealing the news as it is and not what the Establishment wants you to hear – and can afford to without hardship – please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep doing its job.
If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.
Breaking: Galloway wins landslide in Rochdale
‘Labour’ candidate Azhar Ali and family said to have already left count some time ago
George Galloway has romped home in the Rochdale by-election, with 12,335 votes and winning by such a margin that Skwawkbox understands that ‘Labour’ candidate Azhar Ali – suspended and disowned by Labour in what is regarded by many as a clumsy attempt to endear him to local Muslim voters disgusted with his support for ‘friend of genocide’ Keir Starmer.
Ali managed only 2,402 vote, only 8% of the vote and a fall of 44% compared to Labour’s last result in the seat. Reform UK candidate Simon Danczuk, former Labour MP, managed only just over 1,300. Turnout was 39.7%. Independent David Tully came a strong second with 6,638 votes.
Galloway, who achieved the result despite attempted vote fraud in at least one polling station, began his speech with ‘Keir Starmer, this is for Gaza’.
Labour’s betrayal of the people of Gaza and the West Bank has rightly brought them down and the result will send a shiver down the spine of Keir Starmer and his acolytes,
SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you’d like to help it keep revealing the news as it is and not what the Establishment wants you to hear – and can afford to without hardship – please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep doing its job.
If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.
Police called, polling station agent sacked after Rochdale rigging
Galloway and agent call police, Returning Officer after breaches
A Rochdale polling station clerk has been sacked on the spot after Workers Party GB candidate George Galloway and his election agent spotted rule breaches apparently designed to help ‘Labour’ candidate Azhar Ali.
My campaign manager awaiting the police at Deeplish Community Centre having caught red-handed Labour corruption there, alarmingly abetted by a member of staff !@RochdaleCouncil @gmpolice Labour councillors from outside busy breaking the law for a candidate Labour has "disowned"…
— George Galloway (@georgegalloway) February 29, 2024
Labour canvassers were being allowed to speak to voters inside the station and people were being allowed to cast votes without ID, at one station in a usually strong Labour area. Police were called and the Returning Officer summoned, who sacked at least one clerk. However, it is not known how many suspect votes had been cast or whether other stations were similarly affected.
Azhar Ali was disowned by Labour over comments about Israel in what many consider a desperate bid to counter Galloway’s reputation for solidarity with Muslims and Palestinians. Voting closes at 10pm tonight.
SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you’d like to help it keep revealing the news as it is and not what the Establishment wants you to hear – and can afford to without hardship – please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep doing its job.
If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more
Right-wing candidate suspended for ‘antisemitic’ comments called ‘true ally’ by JLM’s Smeeth
Red Tories’ chaos deepens as second candidate dumped over Israel comments – and party’s Westminster polling falls
The second parliamentary candidate to be suspended by Labour in a matter of days for ‘antisemitic’ comments was given a gushing endorsement by a senior Jewish Labour Movement figure.
Graham Jones trumpeted the backing of Ruth Smeeth – now Anderson – last year while he was seeking selection to stand for Labour in Haslingden and Hyndburn. She referred to him as a ‘true ally’ in her fight against ‘antisemitism’:
Oops.
Anderson was one of the most prominent faces in the creation and propagation of the so-called ‘Labour antisemitism crisis’ after falsely accusing left activist Marc Wadsworth of claiming she was part of a ‘media conspiracy – video evidence showed he had said no such thing, but that didn’t stop her storming out of a meeting and marching with a ‘lynch mob‘ that to the party hearing that drove Wadsworth out of Labour:
Author and investigative journalist Asa Winstanley wrote last year:
Ruth Smeeth MP had good reason to delete the post [claiming Black activist Marc Wadsworth had used an antisemitic smear toward her at a Labour event] —the idea that Marc Wadsworth had said she was part of a “media conspiracy” was completely untrue. Importantly, he did not make any kind of anti-Jewish comment. In fact, he didn’t refer to Smeeth’s Jewishness in any way—he later clarified that he hadn’t even known she was Jewish. Wadsworth replied to Smeeth’s false allegations in a statement the same day, describing them as “poisonous slander.” He said her claims played “into a Jewish media conspiracy theory that I utterly reject and have never espoused.”
Wadsworth’s instincts about Smeeth “working hand in hand” with the right-wing press to overthrow Corbyn were totally correct. Only three days earlier Smeeth had played her own minor part in the coup attempt against Corbyn. She announced on Twitter “with a heavy heart” that she was resigning from a junior role in Corbyn’s shadow cabinet. It was timed to coincide with a series of resignations by dozens of hostile MPs, in a failed attempt to force him to resign. They came after the no-confidence vote tabled by Margaret Hodge and the firing of Hilary Benn, another right-wing shadow minister Corbyn had fruitlessly attempted to bring on board as part of his abortive “big church” approach.
But unlike Wadsworth and the others, as a journalist reporting on the UK’s pro-Israel lobby, I happened to be pretty well acquainted with Smeeth’s work.
I wrote a story about her in 2014, when she was selected as a Labour candidate. I did so because of two key facts, ignored by a media that would later pay her such close attention: she had worked as a spin doctor for the Israel lobby and had acted (wittingly or otherwise) as a secret Labour Party source for the US government.
Anderson, who was once described in a leaked US embassy communication as someone to ‘strictly protect’ who had provided inside information on then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s election strategy, has also smeared left-wing Jews who support Palestinian human rights – and said, at about the same time as she was endorsing Jones, that pro-Palestinian Jews should ignored by the UK media and if they didn’t like it, ‘tough’. She went on to smear left Jewish group JVL, forcing the BBC to publish a belated ‘correction’ for not challenging the accusation.
Other JLM activists similarly have egg on their faces after jumping in to try to get Rochdale voters to back Azhar Ali, the other suspended candidate – only a couple of weeks before the Rochdale by-election – despite his ‘antisemitic’ comments about Israel:
On the left, the JLM's timeline right now, with key figures explaining why it's right to have some tolerance when someone on your own side mucks up.
On the right, the distant past of… 2021, when the JLM said "serious" zero tolerance was expelling left groups. pic.twitter.com/HOaI4bfHDD— Alex Nunns (@alexnunns) February 12, 2024
Ali was set to lose the by-election badly even before being officially dumped last night, having featured in videos of him being told to leave by voters he tried to canvass because of his association with Keir Starmer’s support for Israel’s genocide, in stark contrast to the warm welcome widely given to pro-Palestinian candidate George Galloway.
For his part Jones, before he lost his seat, was one of two Labour MPs who sat drinking on the Commons terrace with disgraced right-wing activist Ian McKenzie, who had made comments about the rape and beheading of senior Labour MP Emily Thornberry. Jones was then taken to task by local members for his support for McKenzie.
The chaos of the Starmer regime and its propensity for shooting itself in the foot continues to grow – as well as its complicity in apartheid Israel’s genocidal slaughter of tens of thousands of innocent civilians in Gaza. Starmer’s red Tory party has fallen three points in the polls, despite the Tories’ ongoing disaster, and has lost half or more of its support among Muslim voters, as well as being rejected by those opposed to Israel’s genocide.
SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you’d like to help it keep revealing the news as it is and not what the Establishment wants you to hear – and can afford to without hardship – please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep doing its job.
If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.
C4 announces Labour dumping Ali in Rochdale by-election – with picture of Corbyn
Starmer’s Labour said Ali was ‘our wonderful candidate’, but Starmer nowhere in sight in coverage of yet more chaos for his regime…
Channel 4 News announced this evening that Labour has withdrawn support for its candidate Azhar Ali in the Rochdale by-election – as Skwawkbox covered yesterday – because of his comments about Israel and Gaza.
Ali was selected from a shortlist of three prospective candidates hand-picked by the Labour regime and had received the wholehearted support of the leadership – yet the programme chose to illustrate its segment on Labour withdrawing support with a picture of Ali with Jeremy Corbyn:
Ali’s Twitter feed – at least at the time of writing – contained a video of party deputy leader Angela Rayner giving fulsome praise to ‘our wonderful candidate’:
Ali had proven deeply unpopular on the doorstep because of his association with Starmer’s support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza, prompting rumours that Labour was trying to cut him loose rather than watch him lose as a Labour candidate to George Galloway, who has been warmly welcomed for his support for Palestinians. Others have claimed that pro-Israel party figures were sending a ‘warning shot’ to Keir Starmer not to soften on his support for Israel.
Whatever Labour’s reasons, it’s clear that the UK media are giving Keir Starmer the easiest possible ride despite the chaos that follows him and his faction.
SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you’d like to help it keep revealing the news as it is and not what the Establishment wants you to hear – and can afford to without hardship – please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep doing its job.
If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.
Labour ‘set to suspend’ Rochdale candidate despite grovelling apology to Israel supporters
Labour in chaos, accused of ‘throwing’ campaign to avoid fallout if they lose to Galloway
Labour has been accused of throwing the Rochdale by-election to minimise political damage, after rumours that it is about to suspend its candidate Azhar Ali over his social media posts about the 7 October raid, despite a grovelling apology.
Ali’s posts accusing Israel of complicity in the Hamas raid were leaked to hostile press, triggering an abject apology to ‘the Jewish community’:
Ali’s claim that Egypt said it informed Israel of the raid well before it happened is entirely true. However, his willingness to stand for a party led by Keir Starmer, who has supported Israel’s ‘right’ to commit its war crimes against the Palestinians has already seen videos posted of him being ordered to leave doorsteps during his attempts to campaign. Such has been the contrast with the reception given to Workers Party GB leader George Galloway, a firm supporter of the Palestinians, that Galloway’s odds to win the by-election have been slashed from 16-1 to 2-1.
Suspending Ali would effectively end Labour’s campaign in the by-election, with no possibility to stand another candidate less than three weeks before polling day. Cynics have pointed out that the political fallout from exiting the election would be less damaging than Galloway beating Ali in a fair fight and accused the party of engineering the default. What is clear, however, is that Labour is once again in complete chaos.
SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you’d like to help it keep revealing the news as it is and not what the Establishment wants you to hear – and can afford to without hardship – please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep doing its job.
If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.
Bookies slash Galloway Rochdale odds to 2/1
Reaction against Labour candidate and warm welcome for Workers’ Party GB hopeful cuts odds from 16/1
Betting companies have slashed their odds against George Galloway winning the Rochdale by-election from 16/1 to 2/1 after the campaign saw the Workers’ Party GB candidate’s warm welcome contrast starkly with the hostile reception given to the Starmerite candidate, especially by local Muslims.
The phenomenon aligns with the catastrophic national fall in Labour Westminster voting intention among Muslims voters who voted Labour in 2019 – from 86% then to half that now – because of their outraged at Keir Starmer’s appalling support for Israel’s genocide and other war crimes in Gaza.
Not the Andrew Marr Show presenter Crispin Flintoff, who has been in Rochdale covering Galloway’s campaign, said:
I am still buzzing over what I saw around George Galloway’s campaign. There were hundreds of people at the launch and his campaign is extremely well organised. At the same time, other parties and candidates seem to be in disarray.
Starmer’s advisers have anonymously admitted that they fear the the impact of their enthusiasm for apartheid Israel, despite the ICJ’s findings against Israel for genocide, on the vote among Muslims and others horrified by the mass slaughter of Palestinians civilians in Gaza, mostly women – as well as the more general issue of the Labour right’s rampant Islamophobia and racism – and have already been proven correct in London boroughs and other areas after catastrophic local election results.
SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you’d like to help it keep revealing the news as it is and not what the Establishment wants you to hear – and can afford to without hardship – please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep doing its job.
If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.