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| George Galloway says his Labour opponent tried to join his party | George Galloway says his Labour opponent tried to join his party |
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| George Galloway has accused his Labour rival of trying to join his Respect party just days before she was chosen as the Labour candidate in a controversial selection. | George Galloway has accused his Labour rival of trying to join his Respect party just days before she was chosen as the Labour candidate in a controversial selection. |
| Galloway, who is defending a 10,140 majority in Bradford West, said Naz Shah called Respect twice on 22 February asking to be selected as the party’s parliamentary candidate in neighbouring Bradford East. | Galloway, who is defending a 10,140 majority in Bradford West, said Naz Shah called Respect twice on 22 February asking to be selected as the party’s parliamentary candidate in neighbouring Bradford East. |
| He made the claims at highly charged and occasionally surreal hustings at a business centre in the Manningham area of Bradford on Wednesday night, which began with the chair insisting the debate would be about issues rather than personalities. | He made the claims at highly charged and occasionally surreal hustings at a business centre in the Manningham area of Bradford on Wednesday night, which began with the chair insisting the debate would be about issues rather than personalities. |
| Galloway said Shah made the request to represent Respect the day after initially failing to be selected by Labour, coming last in a vote by local party members. She was only chosen after the original winner, London Labour councillor Amina Ali, abruptly quit, citing childcare issues. | Galloway said Shah made the request to represent Respect the day after initially failing to be selected by Labour, coming last in a vote by local party members. She was only chosen after the original winner, London Labour councillor Amina Ali, abruptly quit, citing childcare issues. |
| Shah, who has admitted she voted and campaigned for Galloway in the 2012 byelection, said she had been making a joke and could produce a conversation on messaging app Whatsapp to prove it. | Shah, who has admitted she voted and campaigned for Galloway in the 2012 byelection, said she had been making a joke and could produce a conversation on messaging app Whatsapp to prove it. |
| She then accused Galloway of ordering someone to go to Pakistan and pretend to be her dead father in order to obtain her Islamic marriage certificate, the nikah. Galloway had earlier told hustings that Shah had lied about being forced into marriage aged 15, producing the nikah from his jacket pocket, to gasps from one half of the 200-strong audience at the Carlisle business centre and cheers from the other. He said the certificate proved she had in fact been 16 and a half. | She then accused Galloway of ordering someone to go to Pakistan and pretend to be her dead father in order to obtain her Islamic marriage certificate, the nikah. Galloway had earlier told hustings that Shah had lied about being forced into marriage aged 15, producing the nikah from his jacket pocket, to gasps from one half of the 200-strong audience at the Carlisle business centre and cheers from the other. He said the certificate proved she had in fact been 16 and a half. |
| Shah said she “absolutely refuted” the allegation that she had lied, insisting she had the documentation to prove it, asking Galloway: “What has my nikah got to do with Bradford West? What have your four marriages got to do with Bradford West?” She then pledged to sue Galloway after the general election. | Shah said she “absolutely refuted” the allegation that she had lied, insisting she had the documentation to prove it, asking Galloway: “What has my nikah got to do with Bradford West? What have your four marriages got to do with Bradford West?” She then pledged to sue Galloway after the general election. |
| A member of the audience asked Galloway if Bradford West “deserved better”, noting his poor parliamentary voting and speaking record and outside earnings of “£265,000” on top of his parliamentary salary (the most recent records in fact show he earned almost £300,000 from appearances on Iranian, Russian and Lebanese TV). | A member of the audience asked Galloway if Bradford West “deserved better”, noting his poor parliamentary voting and speaking record and outside earnings of “£265,000” on top of his parliamentary salary (the most recent records in fact show he earned almost £300,000 from appearances on Iranian, Russian and Lebanese TV). |
| After claiming the questioner had not done his research because he had spoken in 12 debates in the last week of parliament alone, Galloway said: “My speeches in parliament are watched all over the world. May I suggest you go to YouTube? You’ll see speeches by me in parliament that have been watched hundreds of thousands, in some cases, millions of times. | After claiming the questioner had not done his research because he had spoken in 12 debates in the last week of parliament alone, Galloway said: “My speeches in parliament are watched all over the world. May I suggest you go to YouTube? You’ll see speeches by me in parliament that have been watched hundreds of thousands, in some cases, millions of times. |
| “I’m not sure that my Labour opponent will ever be able to say that. I am one of the senior parliamentarians in this country. That’s why the media are here, that’s why all these people are here, that’s why I believe I’ll be re-elected on 7 May.” | “I’m not sure that my Labour opponent will ever be able to say that. I am one of the senior parliamentarians in this country. That’s why the media are here, that’s why all these people are here, that’s why I believe I’ll be re-elected on 7 May.” |
| Describing himself as “an orator and parliamentary debater of note”, he continued: “People want a parliamentarian to represent them, not a community activist or a councillor or in this case [of Shah, a mental health campaigner] someone who has never been a councillor or even tried to be a councillor. I think people want a person with international relations. They’re watching this contest from Manhattan to Gaza from Mirpur to Baghdad.” | Describing himself as “an orator and parliamentary debater of note”, he continued: “People want a parliamentarian to represent them, not a community activist or a councillor or in this case [of Shah, a mental health campaigner] someone who has never been a councillor or even tried to be a councillor. I think people want a person with international relations. They’re watching this contest from Manhattan to Gaza from Mirpur to Baghdad.” |
| Another audience member introduced himself by saying he had composed Galloway’s election theme tune in 2012, the Bradford Spring rap. Bilal Shah, 26, said he now viewed Galloway as a “travelling circus”. After the debate he called Galloway a useless “one-man band”. | Another audience member introduced himself by saying he had composed Galloway’s election theme tune in 2012, the Bradford Spring rap. Bilal Shah, 26, said he now viewed Galloway as a “travelling circus”. After the debate he called Galloway a useless “one-man band”. |
| Galloway later claimed that since his landslide victory in March 2012, he had saved the National Media Museum from closure, ensured the long-term future of the city’s beloved Odeon building and brought the Westfield shopping centre development to Bradford. In response, his Conservative challenger, George Grant, said: “Mr Galloway, I salute your ability to take credit for other people’s achievements.” | |
| It had been an “extraordinary evening”, said Grant, to a resounding shout of: “Not in Bradford it’s not!” | It had been an “extraordinary evening”, said Grant, to a resounding shout of: “Not in Bradford it’s not!” |