GEORGE Galloway is set to earn pounds-150,000 from his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, but the Respect MP will write a cheque to the taxpayer for the percentage of his parliamentary salary he has drawn during his stay in the Channel 4 game show house.
Until now, it was thought that Galloway - who was shown in the Big Brother house this weekend pretending to be a cat, eating out of Rula Lenska's hand - would earn pounds-60,000 from the show. His closest aides in Respect say he is in fact being paid pounds-150,000.
Ron McKay, Galloway's oldest friend and press adviser, confirmed: "He'll write a cheque to the taxpayer for whatever the percentage of his parliamentary income is."
On an MP's basic salary of pounds-61,000, Galloway earns about pounds-155 a day. If he stays to the end of the show his promise could see the taxpayer being "refunded" around pounds-3500.
Galloway has been mocked and criticised for his appearance in Celebrity Big Brother, with government chief whip Hilary Armstrong starting a petition in his Bethnal Green and Bow constituency to "get him back to work".
McKay told the Sunday Herald yesterday that Galloway will not personally profit from the show. "When voters phone in there is a percentage that goes to the contestants' charities . . . George's cut of the phone lines will go to InterPal, a British-based charity for the relief of Palestine. His fee will go to the running of Respect and his constituency office."
Galloway has used earnings from previous media work to pay for Respect staff to run his constituency office while he is in the Big Brother house.
McKay dismissed claims that Galloway had bullied glamour girl Jodie Marsh, who was evicted from the show on Friday. However, McKay admitted that Galloway seemed unhappy in the house and is "withdrawing into himself".
"I knew the worst-case scenario would turn out to be something like this, " McKay said, adding: "George takes advice, but he is not a man that you can tell what to do, and he felt on balance that he should do it."
In the fourth series of Celebrity Big Brother, Galloway has been sharing the house with, among others, singer Pete Burns, former TV star Michael Barrymore and "fake" celebrity Chantelle.
Yesterday, Sir Jimmy Savile joined the 10 remaining contestants on a mission to make one of their dreams come true. Each contestant had written a letter telling him what they wanted "fixed" and the 79-year-old will return tomorrow to fulfil some of their requests.
McKay said yesterday that Galloway had only briefly watched Big Brother before agreeing to the show. McKay says the strategy was "perhaps naive" in hindsight. "He wasn't prepared for the full horror, " McKay added, "but this is a lot worse than anyone could have imagined . . . It just makes me feel a bit unclean. It's like watching a bastardisation of humanity. Surely, most people aren't like this? It can't go any lower, can it? Surely, they can't go on. What will they do next? Kill someone?"
McKay insists the show will not finish Galloway's political career: "I don't think it will do much to enhance Respect, but it won't do serious damage either."
He claims Channel 4 has censored Galloway and cut out political statements the MP has made during the programme. Channel 4 claims that broadcasting political statements would break the Broadcasting Act.
McKay added: "They asked an outspoken MP to come on the show and then they muzzle him."
When asked if he would advise Galloway to go on the show now, McKay said: "No. Definitely not . . . He's shackled verbally and politically and has been cast into a freak show."
The aide also accused New Labour of orchestrating a smear campaign against Galloway, claiming that protests outside the MP's constituency office were carried out "by New Labour placemen". However, he did admit that there had been a mixed reaction to the Respect MP's TV appearance by constituents in Bethnal and Bow.
McKay was withering about the rest of the guests in the Big Brother house. "I think George finds some of the other contestants distasteful. Trying to talk politics to that bunch must be like farting against thunder."
NEED TO KNOW
THE FACTS Respect MP George Galloway is to refund taxpayers for continuing to earn his MP's salary whilst in the Big Brother house.
BACKGROUND Galloway has drawn scorn for degrading politics and failing to represent his Bethnal Green constituents in the House of Commons when they needed him during a key transport vote.
NEED TO KNOW MORE?
www. channel4. com/bigbrother For the latest information on the reality TV series.
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