George Galloway pictured: From meeting Saddam Hussein to Celebrity Big Brother

George Galloway, the controversial Left-wing firebrand, has won the Rochdale by-election.

The former Labour MP who was standing for the Workers Party of Britain, won a decisive majority after Labour withdrew support from its candidate amid allegations of antisemitic comments in a leaked recording.

Mr Galloway, who ran on a pro-Palestinian pitch, claimed his victory was a win for Gaza.

The 69-year-old’s controversial career has spanned four decades and he has been elected to Parliament seven times for three different parties, as well as meeting Saddam Hussein and wearing a leotard on the reality show Big Brother.

Meeting Saddam

George Galloway met Saddam Hussein, in Baghdad, on August 8 2002. He described the Iraqi leader as “very calm and determined” following the encounter.

The MP was a longstanding visitor to Iraq and vocal opponent of UN sanctions against the state. At the time, Saddam said he did not believe the war with the US was inevitable but said averting it would require swift action.

The US invasion of Iraq began on March 19 2003. Mr Galloway was expelled from Labour the following October.

Firebrand protester

Mr Galloway was arrested during a protest at Faslane naval base, the home of the Trident nuclear submarines.

Mr Galloway, who represented Glasgow Kelvin, was among more than 200 people detained for public order offences during an attempt to blockade at the base on the Clyde, near Helensburgh on Feb 12 2001.

He was later fined £180 after being found guilty of committing a breach of the peace.

Thorn in Blair’s side

Mr Galloway was expelled from the Labour party after accusing Tony Blair and George W Bush of behaving “like wolves” and urging British troops to disobey their illegal orders.

He went on to found the Respect party and defeated the Labour MP Oona King in Bethnal Green and Bow in 2005.

Mr Galloway overturned a 10,000 majority with a campaign aimed at the East London constituency’s Bangladeshi community. He then lost his seat in 2010.

Big Brother infamy

Mr Galloway pretended to be a cat while competing on Celebrity Big Brother in 2006, lapping from actress Rula Lenska’s hands.

The politician was seen purring as his housemate scratched behind his ears as part of a task where he would win treats for the house.

During the roleplay, which viewers said had sexual undertones, Mr Galloway said: “Now would you like me to be the cat?”

Rula pretended to pour milk into a saucer and held it out for Mr Galloway, saying “good girl” while wiping his face as Mr Galloway licked his lips.

Another Celebrity Big Brother task saw Mr Galloway perform an interpretive dance in a tight red leotard with Pete Burns, the eighties pop star who founded Dead Or Alive.

Back in the Commons

After losing his Bethnal Green and Bow seat in 2010, Mr Galloway made a political comeback two years later taking Bradford West from Labour in a by-election, after again targeting the seat’s largely Asian and Muslim communities.

He lost the seat again in 2015 after a campaign that saw him accused of sexism against Labour’s Naz Shah.

Further bids for election came in the 2016 London mayoral contest, the 2017 and 2019 general elections, and the 2021 Batley and Spen by-election.