UK left-wing candidate Galloway loses parliamentary seat to Labour

Veteran left-wing political maverick George Galloway lost his parliamentary seat in UK's election on Friday, defeated by the Labour candidate in the Northern English town of Rochdale.

Galloway had served for just four months after winning a by-election triggered by the death of the town's previous lawmaker.

The Workers Party leader launched his general election campaign in June, aiming to hold the two dominant political parties - Labour and Conservative - accountable for their pro-Israel stances.

In March, Galloway's pro-Palestinian campaign helped him win votes from the town's Muslim community, securing his seventh stint as a lawmaker.

That win came after Labour withdrew support from its candidate over a recording in which he said Israel had allowed the 7 October attack to happen as a pretext for invading Gaza.

Both the Conservatives and the Labour Party have said they want the fighting in Gaza to stop, but they have also backed Israel's right to defend itself, angering some among the 3.9 million Muslims who make up 6.5% of Britain's population.

Galloway criticised Labour for supporting Israel in its war on Gaza during his winning by-election campaign in March – which has since killed over 38,000 people.

But this time, he lost to Labour candidate Paul Waugh, a former political journalist who had previously worked for Britain's Independent and Evening Standard newspapers and grew up in the town.

Galloway, 69, was a former Labour parliamentarian before being expelled from the party in 2003 for criticising then-prime minister Tony Blair over the Iraq war.

While he has built a reputation for his advocacy of the Palestine issue, he has also sparked controversy with stances on other global issues.

In 1994, he drew criticism for meeting Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and telling him: "Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability."

Galloway has also been criticised for his support for the Iranian government, Russia, and the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

(Reuters)