Labour suffers major blow as Galloway marks historic win

Galloway who won the by-election by a majority of 10,140 votes, said his victory was proof of the rejection of mainstream parties by voters. The win is a major blow for Ed Miliband, as the constituency has been a Labour stronghold since 1974. Miliband described the loss as “incredibly disappointing”.

Galloway compared his victory to the uprisings in the Arab world.

“There are very large numbers of people completely disenchanted and alienated from the political process and from the mainstream political parties...There is no difference between the Tories, the Lib Dems and New Labour, or at least not a sufficient difference for anyone to notice or care,” he said.

“There is a great deal of concern about mass unemployment, poverty, poor educational statistics, poor health and a general sense of abandonment in post-industrial cities like Bradford.”

Galloway, who was expelled from the Labour Party in 2003 for his opposition to the invasion of Iraq, formed the Respect Party in 2004.
© Islam Times