George Galloway: 'The one thing they want more than any other is to see the back of me - that's my tactic'

Sitting in his Rochdale town centre office, George Galloway has spent much of the morning dealing with 'real complications' that have been developing with his party's campaign in Blackburn. Four weeks out from the general election, he is busy preparing a list of candidates to stand in seats across the country.

It's been 100 days since the 69-year-old Scotsman won the Rochdale by-election to become the town's MP. He is now hoping to be re-elected for a full five-year term on July 4 - but the Workers Party of Britain leader has grander political ambitions too.

As it stands on Tuesday (June 4), when he speaks to the Manchester Evening News in an extended interview, his party hopes to field 326 candidates in just over half the total seats available. "Which therefore, notionally, means I'm running to be Prime Minister," he grins.

"Notionally."

HAVE YOUR SAY: The Greater Manchester General Election 2024 Survey

A little over a month earlier, Mr Galloway stood outside Parliament flanked by dozens of his party's candidates, including former England cricketer Monty Panesar. The following week, Mr Panesar pulled out, saying he needed more time to find his 'political home'.

Then, the snap election was called. Mr Galloway had predicted the poll would be held in May, and when it wasn't, he guessed January.

"Nobody expected this turn of events," he chuckles. "Least of all the Tory party."

In April, Mr Galloway said the Workers Party intends to field a 'full slate' of candidates across the UK, with the exception of Northern Ireland - where he believes no British political party should stand - and Scotland where they will be 'lighter on the ground'. The party would also not stand against MPs they support, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is now running as an independent.

But with the deadline to nominate candidates having passed on Friday (June 7), the Workers Party appears to have fielded candidates in far fewer constituencies than Mr Galloway hoped for. According to Elections Map UK, the party has candidates standing in 151 seats.

Some of the target seats he hopes to win are in Greater Manchester. Oldham East and Saddleworth is third on the list, he says, while Ashton-under-Lyne - Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner's seat - is fourth, with Manchester Gorton also in the top 10.

"Birmingham is our ace," he adds. But since Rishi Sunak called the election, 'one or two' Workers Party candidates have dropped out.

And elsewhere, other independent candidates are causing problems for Mr Galloway's party. "You can really only have one challenger," he explains, "and if independents - as they call themselves - put themselves up and won't move, then it complicates life considerably."

Still, the former Labour man, who was first elected to Parliament in 1987, is expecting to have several Workers Party MPs sat next to him on the backbenches of the House of Commons next month. "I'd be disappointed if we're not in double figures of MPs," he says.

Asked about his own chances of being re-elected in Rochdale, Mr Galloway says: "Only God knows that. It's up to the electorate."

Mr Galloway's victory at the by-election on February 29 was comfortable in the end, with 5,697 votes separating him from local businessman David Tully who, astonishingly, came second as an independent candidate. But this was not a normal by-election.

Less than three weeks before the vote, 'deeply offensive' comments about Israel made by Labour candidate Azhar Ali emerged. A few days later, Labour stopped campaigning for him - but because it was too late to select another candidate, he remained on the ballot.

Labour has now chosen Rochdale-born political journalist Paul Waugh - who lost out to Mr Ali at the last selection race - to stand against Mr Galloway at the general election. Mr Galloway himself admits that winning in a general election will 'no doubt' be harder.

But the seasoned politician says he has a 'deal' to offer the local electorate. "It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease," he says.

"If I'm elected and there's a Labour government, Labour will be able to refuse Rochdale nothing. Because the one thing in the world, in Rochdale, (Labour) want more than any other, is to see the back of me.

"To get the seat back, and to damp down our challenge to them in the next council elections and the ones after that, etc. The Labour government will be prioritising Rochdale over other places - and there'll be a lot of mouths to feed - because I'm the MP.

"That's my tactic."

'We are at the bottom of a miserable league'

Parliament sat for 54 days with Mr Galloway as Rochdale's MP before it was dissolved last week. In that period, he spoke 29 times.

True to his word, he regularly spoke up about the war in Gaza and wider foreign policy. But he also raised issues relating to Rochdale.

Mr Galloway secured a debate on substandard housing which he dedicated to Awaab Ishak, who died aged two due to mould in his Freehold estate flat. In it, he shared his own experience of growing up in a Scottish slum, where, as a baby, he slept in the attic drawer.

And while, he said, he now lives a 'good life', he dubbed the prevailing poor state of housing in his constituency a 'national disgrace'.

"The national league is a dismal league because there's millions of substandard houses in Britain," he told the M.E.N, "Millions of them.

"But we are at the bottom of a miserable league. We were worse on every index - as I put it in the debate - at the bottom of every table, you'd want to be at the top of and at the top of every table you'd want to be at the bottom of."

Mr Galloway hit out at Rochdale Boroughwide Housing - the housing association which was criticised by a coroner for its failure to deal with damp in Awaab Ishak's flat - arguing that the local social housing stock must be managed by 'somebody better'. Amanda Newton, who now runs the 'changed' organisation, says she has invited Mr Galloway to discuss any issues he wants to raise with her.

During his return to Parliament, Mr Galloway has also submitted and supported dozens of Early Day Motions. Among them, was a call to restore A&E and maternity services at Rochdale infirmary 'without delay' - a pledge he made during this by-election campaign.

The day before the general election was called, the Workers Party leader announced that maternity services would reopen in the town next year. Mr Galloway made the claim following an 'exceptionally productive' meeting with health minister Maria Caulfield.

Commenting later that day, the minister said she was keen to see improved access to maternity services across the country and would be willing to meet Mr Galloway again to discuss his proposal. But the Department of Health and Social Care, within which she serves as a junior minister for patient safety and primary care, said it does not directly commission maternity services at a local level.

Mr Galloway told the M.E.N this week that the minister said she would 'ask the treasury for the funding' and that 'civil servants' told him it can be done by 2025. He argues the 'Labour controlled' local NHS commissioners cannot turn down the Tory minister's 'promise'.

Greater Manchester's Integrated Care Board (ICB), which is responsible for commissioning local NHS services, says it is not aware of the plans. However, Mr Galloway insists ICB bosses were involved in discussions over a 'pop-up' maternity unit before the pandemic.

The M.E.N understands that a proposal for an out-of-hospital 'home birth' facility in Rochdale was considered in 2021, but did not go ahead due to staffing and safety considerations. Mr Galloway, blames Labour, who he claims controls the NHS in Greater Manchester.

The Greater Manchester ICB, which is chaired by the former Labour leader of Manchester council, Sir Richard Leese, is not a political organisation. However, Labour mayor Andy Burnham sits on the Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) board alongside several councillors.

"What have they done about maternity facilities here?" Mr Galloway retorts. "The truth is, they didn't try to get them."

"Now they can't refuse to do it. Now that even a Tory minister agreed, they'll have to do it."

And with the reopening of maternity services seemingly secured in his view, Mr Galloway now has his eyes set on reopening A&E in the town too. "Soon," he says, "you'll be able to be born in Rochdale and, God forbid, after a long life, you'll be able to die in Rochdale."

Asked for his top three priorities, Mr Galloway lists housing, youth clubs and a Primark store. "I really do want a Primark here," he insists.

This is not a new pledge from the Workers Party candidate who also promised to reopen Rochdale's open air market during the by-election campaign. In fact, not only did Mr Galloway promise to reopen it, he declared it a done deal before the polls even opened.

The market, which was based at the Exchange Shopping Centre since 1978, closed nearly a decade ago. Mr Galloway, who has met with the Blackburn-based Adhan Group, which recently bought the retail centre, says that the market is now 'ready to open' again.

Centre manager Martin Ballard told the M.E.N that the aim is to reopen the old market with up to 77 stalls and five small shops around the back in 'late summer'. "The owners of the centre are very keen to invest here," he said. "The drive is very much coming from them."

One thing Mr Galloway has not claimed any credit for is saving Rochdale AFC which was facing the threat of liquidation when he won the by-election. However, the newly-elected MP prematurely declared the football club saved two months before the deal was done.

On March 8, he shared a video taken outside the Spotland stadium on social media claiming that The Football Club Ltd - one of the companies which signed a letter of intent to buy Rochdale AFC - had taken over. The club, which was finally sold to a trust set up by local businessman Sir Peter Ogden last month, told the M.E.N at the time that the claims made in Mr Galloway's video were incorrect.

But, speaking to the M.E.N this week, Mr Galloway doubled down on his 'premature exclamation', claiming he already knew the club was saved in March, despite the Ogden deal only going through in May. "I was right," he insists. "Congratulate my long-sightedness."

Nevertheless, looking ahead to the general election, the Workers Party leader is not willing to employ his long-sightedness just yet. "I don't make reckless predictions about election results," he tells the M.E.N: "I always trust in God and the people. The people will speak."

'People in my own family don't agree with me on this'

The interview ends on a topic that Mr Galloway has discussed at length in recent weeks, despite it not being a 'major priority' for him. The Workers Party leader was accused of 'homophobia' after he told Novara Media last month that gay relationships are not 'normal'.

The comments, which were heavily criticised at the time, were made during a conversation about what children should and should not be taught in school. The M.E.N asked Mr Galloway this week what he believes children should be taught about gay relationships.

"That every human being must be respected," he said, "that not everyone is of the same orientation and that love and respect for all humankind is essential if we are to live in a society worth living in."

Mr Galloway went on to explain that his party believes in 'family values' and is 'strongly in favour' of the 'family unit' which he said is an 'essential bedrock of society' without which 'the country will die'. "I've got six children so I've done my bit," he quips. "But we have a situation here where people don't want immigration and yet we live in a country with a falling birth rate. That's not sustainable."

"I'm a man of my age and class and religion," he adds. "Some of the young people in my own family don't agree with me on this matter. But what can I do? It's what I believe. And it turns out, quite a lot of people agree."

But when pushed further on the matter, Mr Galloway kills the conversation. "I think I've been clear," he says, "I'm not saying any more on it. I spoke to your paper on Saturday about it, I've just spoken further to you about it now. It's not a major priority for me."