[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17549388

Respect Party candidate George Galloway has taken the Bradford West parliamentary seat from Labour, winning the by-election by 10,100 votes.

Mr Galloway, expelled by Labour in 2003, said it was the "most sensational victory" in by-election history. He received 18,341 votes - a 56% share.

He said his victory represented a "total rejection" of the major parties.

At the 2010 General Election, Labour's Marsha Singh, who resigned on health grounds, won with a majority of 5,763 .

The party had held the West Yorkshire seat since 1974, except for a brief period in the 1980s when the sitting MP defected to the SDP.

Labour candidate Imran Hussein came second with 8,201 votes as the party's share of the vote was 20% down on its 2010 figure.

'Bradford spring'

Conservative candidate Jackie Whiteley was third, with 2,746 votes. Jeanette Sunderland, of the Liberal Democrats, secured 1,505 votes.

Mr Galloway, who co-founded the anti-war Respect Party after being expelled by Labour because of his opposition to the Iraq war, said the result represented the "Bradford Spring".

He said the "mammoth majority" and "mammoth vote" represented a "total rejection" of the three major parties in the British political system.

Mr Galloway urged his former party to turn away "decisively" from the course set by former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

He said Labour "must stop imagining that working people and poor people have no option but to support them if they hate the Tory and Liberal Democrat coalition partners.

"They have to stop supporting illegal, bloody, costly foreign wars because one of the reasons why they were so decisively defeated this evening is that the public don't believe that they have atoned for their role in the invasion and occupation of other people's countries and the drowning of those countries in blood."

Mr Galloway urged his former colleagues to "stop taking their supporters for granted" and "unite the coalition" it once had.

The Respect politician was mobbed by supporters as he left the count.

Labour's candidate did not make a speech after the results were announced, but Labour MP Toby Perkins said the Bradford West result was "desperately disappointing".

He attributed Mr Galloway's success partly to his celebrity status from having appeared on TV reality show Celebrity Big Brother which he said had been "a very significant factor".

Mr Perkins said: "I think frankly there wasn't a lot the other parties could do about it. [Voters had] seen him on Big Brother.

"They wanted him on their streets and now they've got it, and let's hope that he lives up to the promise that he's made to them and actually delivers on the optimism that surrounds his campaign."

"Now, would you like me to be the cat?"



Seriously though - the man's a joke .....