Left-wing firebrand George Galloway kicked off his party’s general election campaign by taking a strong stance against the UK’s two dominant parties regarding their approach to Israel’s war on Gaza. Galloway criticized Labour leader Keir Starmer for his failure to condemn Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, accusing him of having “blood on his hands” and aligning closely with Conservative PM Rishi Sunak on the issue. Galloway vowed to target both Labour and the Conservatives in the upcoming election, citing Labour’s recent purge of left-wing and pro-Palestine members as evidence of Starmer’s rightward shift from the party’s traditional values under Jeremy Corbyn.
Galloway, a long-time advocate for the Palestinian cause, has a history of challenging mainstream politics, having been expelled from the Labour Party in 2003 due to his opposition to the Iraq invasion. Despite criticisms, Galloway’s Workers Party of Britain advocates for a single-state solution in Palestine-Israel with equal rights for all. His recent victory in the Rochdale by-election marks him as a significant figure in British politics, standing against Israeli aggression while facing scrutiny for his views on other Middle Eastern conflicts.