06/05/2003

Labour Party suspends Galloway over war comments

Under-fire Glaswegian MP George Galloway has been suspended from the Labour Party today pending an investigation into comments he made to an television network during the Iraq war.

The party took action in the wake of comments made by Mr Galloway to Abu Dabi television last month suggesting that British troops should not follow orders to fight in Iraq. He also described US president George Bush and his prime minister and party leader Tony Blair as "wolves". An internal investigation is now under way, the Labour Party has said.

Mr Galloway has been the focus of protracted attacks in the media – particularly by the Daily Telegraph – over his alleged financial connections with Iraq's Ba'athist regime. In a series of reports, supposedly emanating from documents recovered from the bombed out Iraqi information ministry, the Daily Telegraph claimed that Mr Galloway received around £375,000 a year from the Iraqi government through the food for oil programme.

Mr Galloway says that the reports are a fantasy and has begun legal action against the newspaper.

Last week, the Charity Commission announced that it was to investigate a complaint relating to the charity created by Mr Galloway.

The commission said that the probe centred around a complaint that the Mariam Appeal may have used charitable funds for non-charitable purposes.

The Glasgow Kelin MP is also to be the focus of an inquiry by the Parliamentary Standards watchdog Philip Mawer.

(GMcG)

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