George Galloway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George Galloway
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Leader of the Workers Party of Britain | |
| Assumed office 8 December 2019 |
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| Deputy |
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| Preceded by | Party established |
| Leader of the Respect Party | |
| In office 10 June 2013 – 18 August 2016 |
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| Deputy | Dawud Islam |
| Preceded by | Arshad Ali |
| Succeeded by | Party dissolved |
| Member of Parliament | |
| In office 29 February 2024 – 30 May 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Tony Lloyd |
| Succeeded by | Paul Waugh |
| Constituency | Rochdale |
| In office 29 March 2012 – 30 March 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Marsha Singh |
| Succeeded by | Naz Shah |
| Constituency | Bradford West |
| In office 5 May 2005 – 12 April 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Oona King |
| Succeeded by | Rushanara Ali |
| Constituency | Bethnal Green and Bow |
| In office 11 June 1987 – 11 April 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Roy Jenkins |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Constituency | Glasgow Kelvin (1997–2005) Glasgow Hillhead (1987–1997) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 August 1954 Dundee, Scotland |
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| Other political affiliations |
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| Spouses |
Elaine Fyffe
(m. 1979; div. 1999)Amineh Abu-Zayyad
(m. 2000; div. 2009)Rima Husseini
(m. 2005; div. 2010)Putri Gayatri Pertiwi
(m. 2012) |
| Children | 6 |
| Signature |  |
George Galloway (born 16 August 1954) is a British politician, broadcaster, and writer. He is the founder and leader of the Workers Party of Britain. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for several different areas, called constituencies, at different times.
Galloway was born in Dundee, Scotland. He joined the Labour Party as a young man. He was elected as an MP for a part of Glasgow in 1987. He was a Labour MP until 2003, when the party expelled him. This happened because he strongly disagreed with the party's decision to support the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
After leaving Labour, Galloway helped create the Respect Party in 2004. He was elected as a Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow in London in 2005. He later won a special election in 2012 to become the MP for Bradford West. In 2024, he won another special election in Rochdale for the Workers Party of Britain, but lost the seat in the general election later that year.
Galloway is known for his strong views. He is a supporter of the Palestinians in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. He has also been a presenter on TV shows, including for Russian and Iranian state media. He has often been a controversial figure in British politics.
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Early Life and Career
George Galloway was born in Dundee, Scotland. His father was a trade unionist and engineer, and his mother was a factory worker. He grew up in Dundee and went to Harris Academy. He joined the youth section of the Labour Party when he was a teenager.
By the time he was 26, Galloway had become the chairman of the Scottish Labour Party. From 1983 to 1987, he was the general secretary of War on Want, a charity that fights poverty around the world.
Political Career as a Member of Parliament
Glasgow MP (1987–2005)
In 1987, Galloway was elected as the Labour MP for Glasgow Hillhead. He was known for his left-wing views. When the boundaries of his area changed, he became the MP for Glasgow Kelvin in 1997.
During his time as a Labour MP, he sometimes voted against his party's official instructions. He was arrested during a protest against nuclear weapons at the Faslane naval base in Scotland in 2001.
Iraq and Leaving the Labour Party
Galloway was a strong opponent of the sanctions against Iraq in the 1990s and the 2003 Iraq War. He believed the sanctions hurt ordinary Iraqi people.
In 1994, he met with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. During the meeting, Galloway said words of praise that caused a lot of controversy in Britain. He later said he was praising the Iraqi people, not Saddam himself.
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When the Iraq War began in 2003, Galloway gave an interview on TV where he encouraged British soldiers to "refuse to obey illegal orders." Because of these comments, the Labour Party expelled him in October 2003. They said he had brought the party into disrepute.
After being expelled, Galloway helped to form a new political party called the Respect Party.
Accusations and Court Cases
In 2003, The Daily Telegraph newspaper published a story claiming that Galloway had received money from the Iraqi government. Galloway said the story was false and sued the newspaper for libel (publishing a false statement that harms someone's reputation). He won the case and was awarded damages.
He was also accused of getting money from the United Nations' Oil-for-Food Programme, which was set up to help Iraqis. He denied this and defended himself at a hearing in the United States Senate in 2005. He said the accusations were politically motivated because he opposed the Iraq War.
Bethnal Green MP (2005–2010)
In the 2005 general election, Galloway stood as a Respect Party candidate in Bethnal Green and Bow, a diverse area in East London. He ran against the sitting Labour MP, Oona King, who had voted for the Iraq War.
The campaign was very intense. Galloway won the election by a small margin. In his victory speech, he said, "Mr Blair, this is for Iraq."
In 2006, Galloway appeared on the reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother. His appearance was controversial, especially a moment where he pretended to be a cat for a task.
Bradford West MP (2012–2015)
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After losing his seat in 2010, Galloway made a surprise return to Parliament in 2012. He won a special election, called a by-election, in Bradford West. He called his victory "the most sensational" in British political history.
His campaign focused on local issues and his opposition to the main political parties. However, he lost the seat in the 2015 general election to the Labour candidate, Naz Shah.
Rochdale MP (2024)
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In February 2024, Galloway won another by-election, this time in Rochdale. He stood for the Workers Party of Britain, which he had founded in 2019. His campaign focused heavily on the war in Gaza.
In his victory speech, he criticized the leaders of the Labour and Conservative parties. He lost the seat in the 2024 general election a few months later.
Political Views
Galloway describes himself as a socialist and socially conservative. This means he supports government control of key industries but also holds traditional views on social issues.
Foreign Policy
- Israel and Palestine: Galloway is a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause and a critic of Israel and Zionism. He has taken part in aid convoys to Gaza. In 2014, he controversially declared Bradford an "Israel-free zone."
- Syria: He supported the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad and opposed Western countries getting involved in the Syrian civil war.
- Russia: Galloway has presented shows on the Russian state-controlled TV network RT. He blamed Western countries for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- Brexit: Although he once supported staying in the European Union, he campaigned for the UK to leave in the 2016 referendum.
Scottish Independence
Galloway is against Scottish independence. He believes Scotland should remain part of the United Kingdom. He campaigned for the "No" side in the 2014 referendum and later led a pro-union political group called All for Unity.
Personal Life
Galloway has been married four times and has six children. He is known for often wearing a fedora hat. He was raised as a Roman Catholic and has said his religious beliefs are a private matter.
See also
In Spanish: George Galloway para niños
