Another fine mess for Galloway...

First came the missiles, then up went the battle cry: "That's for being up Saddam Hussein's arse." George Galloway narrowly avoided being pelted with eggs yesterday during one of his first public outings since allegations were made that he received payments from the former Iraqi dictator.

The Glasgow Kelvin MP had just started to deliver an anti-war speech at a May Day festival in Merseyside when he was forced to adopt a defensive crouch to avoid a yolky splattering.

"Luckily, I was able to use my skills as a boxer to duck and dodge both missiles. It's just as well I was on a stage because if I had been on the ground I think a John Prescott situation may have developed," he said.

David Anson, 41, an unemployed builder, and his son, 16, were arrested.