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Rishi Sunak has announced the government will “back” police if they take stronger action at protests.The prime minister spoke about efforts to protect democracy and crack down on extremism on Friday 1 March in a surprise address from Downing Street.“Recently our streets have been hijacked by small groups who are hostile to our values and have no respect for our democratic traditions,” Mr Sunak said.“This month, the government will implement a new, robust framework for how it deals with this issue, to ensure we are dealing with the root causes of this problem.”The prime minister added that he will “demand universities stop extremist activities on campus.” More

Sir Keir Starmer has said George Galloway “only won because Labour did not stand” in the Rochdale by-election.The Workers Party leader, who is one of Britain’s most divisive politicians, swept to victory in the greater Manchester seat, gaining almost 40 per cent of the vote in a contest mired in chaos and controversy and dominated by the Gaza conflict.Labour dropped its candidate Azhar Ali ahead of the vote for suggesting Israel was complicit in Hamas’ October 7 attack and have since warned Mr Galloway will stoke “fear and division”.“I regret that we had to withdraw our candidate and apologise to voters in Rochdale,” Sir Keir said on Friday 1 March. More

Reform UK’s leader Richard Tice claimed his Rochdale election candidate Simon Danczuk received a death threat during the campaign and said his team had been subject to “daily intimidation and slurs”.Mr Tice alleged that “menacing behaviour” had featured throughout the campaign and questioned the validity of the postal ballots returned during the contest.He said: “This by-election and result should act as a serious wake-up call to those in power and indeed to the entire electorate.“We are supposed to be a beacon of democracy, this shameful contest has been more characteristic of a failed state.” More

George Galloway echoed his 2005 general election speech during his Rochdale by-election victory claiming ‘Keir Starmer, this is for Gaza”.The former Labour MP, now the leader of the Workers Party of Britain, made his declaration before criticising Sir Keir and vowing councillors in the Labour-run town hall “have to go”.The scenes on Friday morning (1 March) resembled Mr Galloway’s 2005 Bethnal Green and Bow general election win over Labour.Then the leader of the Respect Party, Mr Galloway used his victory speech to hit out at prime minister Tony Blair over the Iraq war, declaring: “This is for Iraq”. More

George Galloway storms out of a television interview after being challenged by Jeremy Paxman over his election night victory.The resurfaced 2005 interview, filmed after Mr Galloway’s victory over Labour’s Oona King, is back in the spotlight following The Workers Party of Britain by-election win in Rochdale on Friday (1 March).In the BBC clip, Mr Galloway angrily accused Paxman of “insulting” his new constituents by asking about his Labour opponent on the BBC’s election night special.”They chose me. Can’t you find it within yourself even to congratulate me?” Mr Galloway fumed after Paxman asked him whether he felt guilty about unseating Oona King, “one of the few black women in parliament”. More

This is the moment George Galloway is announced the winner of the Rochdale by-election in the early hours of Friday morning (1 March).Mr Galloway’s campaign team claimed early on in the night that the former Labour and Respect MP would win “comfortably”. The Workers Party of Great Britain leader received just under 40 percent of the vote.His majority of 5,697 votes amounted to 18.3 percent of the total, on a turnout of 39.7 percent, a little higher than the two recent by-elections in Wellingborough and Kingswood.The surprise runner-up was David Tully, a local businessman and independent candidate, who secured more than 6,600 votes. More

Victorious George Galloway declared “this is for Gaza” as his party won the Rochdale by-election.Mr Galloway, of the Workers Party of Britain, won a 6,000 majority over his nearest rival in the by-election on Friday (1 March).In his victory speech, Mr Galloway said: “Keir Starmer, this is for Gaza. You have paid, and you will pay, a high price for the role that you have played in enabling, encouraging and covering for the catastrophe presently going on in occupied Palestine in the Gaza Strip.”He said he would put Rochdale councillors “on notice” that he intended to form a “grand alliance” to “clean the town hall up” at the local elections in May. More

Sadiq Khan has said he is “heartbroken” at Rishi Sunak’s lack of “leadership” over Lee Anderson’s comments, in which he claimed the London mayor was controlled by “Islamists”.The former deputy chair of the Conservatives was suspended by the party after refusing to apologise for the remarks.“I’ve had a number of emotions over the last six days. Sad, angry, frustrated, appalled, heartbroken,” Mr Khan told LBC on Thursday 29 February.“My sadness and my heartbreak is because people who we look to for leadership haven’t provided it. I mean Sunak, I mean the deputy prime minister, I mean the cabinet.” More