GEORGE Galloway has said he will stand in Glasgow east against the SNP should there be a by election in the constituency.
He said only he could defeat the SNP and said in the event of a vote, Labour should stand aside, and give him a free run to challenge.
Speaking after the current MP for Glasgow East, Natalie McGarry was charged with fraud offences he raised the prospect of a by election and he said Labour is incapable of winning in the city’s east end.
Mr Galloway, speaking to our sister paper the Evening Times, said: “The woman is innocent until proven guilty and should there be a by election, which could happen in either case, I will be a candidate as an independent.
“I hope the other parties would give me a free run at it.
“I’m in a better position than other parties to defeat the SNP. Labour doesn’t have anyone. Those they have are compromised by association with Blair and Brown.”
The former Hillhead MP said he was stronger than Labour from a left wing perspective and he was able to challenge the nationalists on left wing issues.
He said: “The SNP can’t out-left me, they can’t out-nuclear weapons me, they can’t out-Iraq war me.”
Mr Galloway said he believed he could still be a Glasgow MP if it were not for former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
He was Labour MP for Hillhead and then Kelvin from 1987 to 2005 and was expelled from Labour in 2003 over his outspoken opposition to the Iraq war and some of his statements at the time including urging troops to disobey orders.
He said: “I won four elections in Glasgow and I would still be there if Tony Blair hadn’t expelled me from the Labour Party.
People have contacted me and given me support and encouragement.
I’m against an early second referendum and if it comes around I will fight it as before and I’m confident the result will be the same.
People in the east end have more things to worry about than another referendum.”
He last stood in Scotland in the 2011 election where he took 3.3% of the vote in the Glasgow regional list.
Since then he has been MP for Bradford West, which he won in a by-election, until he lost his seat last year.
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