George Galloway launches Workers Party campaign with attack on Labour

Mr Galloway also accused Sir Keir of blocking left-wing pro-Palestinian candidates in favour of supporters of his leadership.

He said Sir Keir had kept “one of the most established members of Parliament in our country”, Diane Abbott, “in purgatory” for a year because she was “an outspoken supporter of the Palestinian people”.

The former shadow home secretary was suspended from the party last April for saying Jewish, Irish and Traveller people do not face racism “all their lives”.

She apologised but was not readmitted to the party until this week.

Uncertainty remained over whether she would be allowed to stand for Labour in her previous seat of Hackney North and Stoke Newington until Sir Keir said on Friday she would be free to go forward as the party’s candidate.

Mr Galloway also cited the case of Faiza Shaheen, who was banned from standing for Labour in Chingford and Woodford Green after she allegedly liked a post on X that downplayed antisemitism accusations.

“If this is how they run their own party, how do you think they’d run the country?” he said.