British prime minister Rishi Sunak may have publicly rued last week’s election of firebrand socialist George Galloway as “beyond alarming”, but in private he will not have been too disappointed. The elevation to the House of Commons of the Scot, who took Labour’s seat in the Rochdale byelection, is a much bigger problem for Labour leader Keir Starmer than it is for his Tory counterpart.
Galloway’s election ensures that Starmer’s political Achilles heel – Israel’s Gaza bombardment and public anger over civilian deaths – remains at the forefront of British political debate.
The Scottish National Party and even the SDLP can be relied upon to raise the issue in the Commons in a way that is uncomfortable for Starmer, who must balance the anger of Labour Muslims with keeping out those accused of anti-Semitism who plagued the party under Jeremy Corbyn.
But Galloway has the profile, charm and pedigree as a former Labour member-turned-Labour hunter to do it in such a way that consistently attracts the attention of a Westminster press pack that requires constant feeding with new narratives.
He took to his role as Starmer’s new chief tormentor with aplomb on Monday, when he was sworn in as an MP, declaring that the next election “will be about Muslims”.
Sunak’s Downing Street speech on Friday warned of the threat to Britain from “extremists”, interpreted by many as a reference to Palestinian supporters who march through London. Galloway adduced that Sunak has chosen British worry over angry Muslims as a “wedge issue” upon which to fight an election.
He suggested the Tory leader would portray himself as a strong leader who dares to stand up to extremists by clamping down on protests, and the Labour leader as a weak one unable to do the same due to the influence of a rump of anti-Semites who remain in his party.
It would be a cynical strategy, but potentially an effective one if Starmer is not deft in his response.
Galloway believes that if Sunak deploys this strategy, Starmer has two options – either stand up for the civil liberties of Muslims and other supporters of the Palestinians expressing their anger at Israel through mass protests in Britain, or go along with Sunak’s anti-protest position – drawing himself further into the mire with Labour supporters.
“Either way that suits Rishi Sunak,” said Galloway, who then promised to attack Labour from every angle, including putting up a candidate to target Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner’s seat in Ashton-under-Lyne, near Manchester.
There is, of course, another possibility. Galloway might attract press attention on a controversial issue, but his ability to run credible candidates in enough constituencies to really trouble Labour is limited. He’s a bit of a one-man band.
This is why Galloway has been calling on former Labour leader Corbyn to join with him in an electoral alliance to field candidates focused on anti-war and socialist positions. Galloway has the oratorical skills, but Corbyn has the reach.
The chances of such an alliance may be limited. It had been briefed that Corbyn would be by Galloway’s side as he was sworn in, as one of the two sitting MPs to introduce him to the speaker. But the former Labour leader was nowhere to be seen, suggesting he may be already wary of being too closely associated with the controversial Galloway.
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