George Galloway compares relationship with Nigel Farage to Churchill and Stalin

'We are not pals. We are allies in one cause. Like Churchill and Stalin…'

Alexandra Sims
Sunday 21 February 2016 22:29 GMT
Comments
George Galloway speaks during the Grassroots Out rally at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre
George Galloway speaks during the Grassroots Out rally at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre

George Galloway has compared his new found alliance with Nigel Farage over Brexit to that between Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill during World War Two.

When the Respect Party leader was questioned about his unlikely relationship with the right-wing UKIP leader over Twitter, Mr Galloway said: “We are not pals. We are allies in one cause. Like Churchill and Stalin…”

Mr Galloway joined Mr Farage to speak as a “special guest” at a major anti-EU rally in Westminster on Friday as part of the Grassroots Out (GO) campaign, with Mr Farage describing him as “one of the greatest orators in the country” and “a towering figure on the left of British politics”.

His appearance, however, brought the event to a divisive conclusion after hundreds of people reportedly left on account of the former Labour MP.

According to reports, Mr Galloway’s appearance promoted shouted complaints from the audience and organisers where witnessed telling security guards to “shut the doors” to prevent a mass exodus.

In the wake of the controversy, Mr Farage has defended Mr Galloway’s appearance at the event and confirmed they will work together, despite their disparate politics, for an issue “bigger than traditional difference”.

Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, Mr Farage said: “On that night, yes, the Respect Party was on the platform, so was the Conservative Party, so was Ruth Lea, the economist, so was a London taxi driver, so was [Tory MP] Sir William Cash, so was [Labour former minister] Kate Hoey.

“The point about Grassroots Out is, we’re bringing people together from across the spectrum.

“I don’t suspect there’s a single domestic policy, in many cases foreign policy, of which George Galloway and I would agree.

“He said some very disabling things about me but, look, sometimes in life an issue comes along which is bigger than traditional difference."

He also said Mr Galloway would help GO, which is hoping to be designated as the official Out campaign by the Electoral Commission, reach a bigger audience.

“However controversial George Galloway is, he does actually speak to a large Muslim community in Britain, he speaks to people who at the moment are on the Remain side.”

This view was seconded by Ms Hoey, who told BuzzFeed News: "We need support from all wings of politics… he reaches parts of the communities neither Labour or Tories can”.

She compared Mr Farage and Mr Galloway to Tony Benn and Enoch Powell who shared platforms in 1975, however the UKIP leader has denied this association.

“Back in the 70s there were very few political figures or public figures that appeared in No platforms,” he said.

The London Mayor Boris Johnson revealed himself to be the latest high profile supporter of Brexit after Prime Minister David Cameron struck a deal with other EU leaders over Britain’s future in Europe on Friday night.

A referendum, deciding whether Britain will remain in the EU or not, is due to take place on the 23 June.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in