‘Little Rishi Sunak’: George Galloway Fires Back After Prime Minister Calls Win ‘Alarming’

Newly elected Rochdale MP George Galloway laughed off Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s criticism of his victory in Thursday’s by-election, branding the leader “little Rishi Sunak” in a heated interview with Sky News that took even the journalist off guard.

On Friday evening Sunak, in a speech about rising extremism in Britain, described Galloway’s win as an “alarming” example and accused him of supporting Hezbollah.

When asked what he thought of Sunak’s criticism by Sky News deputy political editor Sam Coates, Galloway didn’t hold back.

Galloway said: “You talk as if this is God. We’re talking about little Rishi Sunak in the fag end of his prime ministership. Don’t talk to me as if he’s come down from the mount with tablets of stone or the things that he says are somehow meant to awe me. They may awe you, they don’t awe me.”

“A lot of people have just watched what the Prime Minister said. This is your opportunity to respond to what he said,” Coates replied. “He says that there are forces here at home trying to tear us apart. He is implying you are a divisive figure. You have run an election campaign that has tried to appeal, particularly, not entirely, to one section of the community.”

The MP shot back: “Who won the election? Me or Rishi Sunak? I’ve got the democratic mandate here, not Rishi Sunak. He didn’t even come second. He was lucky to come third. So don’t put to me statements made by Rishi Sunak as if I’m supposed to be impressed by them. He don’t impress me much.”

Coates then said that Sky News had canvassed people in Rochdale throughout the day and said: “There are people who say that they feel intimidated by people like you and the people that have supported you.” The journalist also said that some felt Galloway’s campaign, run primarily on the foreign policy issue of the Israel-Hamas war, would leave his Rochdale constituency second place.

Galloway replied: “People voted yesterday and they voted for me. Why is that difficult for you to grasp?”

Coates repeated his question as to why Rochdale residents might be worried.

The MP said: “There may be people who didn’t vote for me who are worried, but the majority, the thumping majority, voted for me. I’ve got the mandate, and I’m going to the House of Commons with it.”

“And it’s a mandate you think to do what?” Coates asked. “Because there are people that listen to what you say, what you say about whether or not Israel has a right to exist, what you say about what many Jewish people think are threatening slogans.”

Galloway turned the question around: “We had this conversation last night. Why are you reheating it?”

Coates repeated: “Because in the light of the Prime Minister’s…”

“Don’t keep telling me about the Prime Minister as if he was Moses!” the MP interrupted.

“Do you not respect the Prime Minister?” Coates asked.

“Do I respect the Prime Minister? I despise the Prime Minister,” Galloway said.

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