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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13144429/Keir-Starmer-Gaza-Palestinian-George-Galloway-Rochdale-byelection.html

Keir Starmer is warned his Gaza problems just 'got 100 times more serious' after pro-Palestinian firebrand George Galloway storms home in Rochdale by-election sparking fears about wider meltdown in Labour's muslim support

By James Tapsfield, Political Editor For Mailonline and Greg Heffer, Political Correspondent

Published: 06:39, 1 March 2024 | Updated: 09:52, 1 March 2024

Keir Starmer was warned he is facing his 'worst nightmare' and his Gaza problems have 'got 100 times more serious' today after George Galloway stormed home in the Rochdale by-election.  The pro-Palestinian firebrand emerged victorious in the normally-safe Labour seat after one of the most divisive and chaotic contests in recent history.  And he immediately vowed to use the platform to torment Sir Keir over his stance towards Israel in the wake of the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas.  'Keir Starmer, this is for Gaza,' the 69-year-old declared, as soon as he was announced as the winning candidate in Rochdale just before 3am.

Although the result came after Labour was forced to disown its candidate Azhar Ali over remarks condemned as anti-Semitic, it will raise fresh concerns about a backlash against the party in muslim communities.  Ellie Reeves, Labour's deputy national campaign co-ordinator, apologised for the way the by-election had happened saying Mr Galloway 'stokes division and fear'.  She insisted Sir Keir would not be shifting position on Gaza, pointing out he had already moved to back an 'immediate humanitarian ceasefire' last week.  Mr Galloway will return to Westminster after a nine-year absence as a representative of a third different political party - the Workers Party of Britain - having previously been both a Labour and Respect MP.  Rochdale was previously held by Sir Tony Lloyd, who died in January.  The father-of-six won 12,335 votes in the by-election, which was just under 40 per cent of the vote share.  This put him ahead of second-placed independent candidate David Tully who won 6,638 votes (21 per cent).  Mr Ali was fourth with just 2,402 votes (7.72 per cent).  His name appeared on the ballot papers as a Labour candidate because the decision to drop him came after the cut-off point.  There is not thought to be a modern precedent for two effectively independent candidates coming first and second in a Parliamentary contest.  At 39.7 per cent, turnout was slightly higher than in the recent Wellingborough and Kingswood by-elections.   And the scale of the victory raised questions about whether Labour would have been able to defeat Mr Galloway even if their campaign had not derailed.  Sir Tony had won Rochdale for Labour at the 2019 general election with a majority of almost 10,000 votes.  Mr Galloway used his victory speech to go on the attack against Sir Keir Starmer over the Labour leader's Gaza stance after being declared the by-election winner.  He warned Sir Keir: '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.'

Mr Galloway was interrupted by a woman shouting that he was a 'climate change denier' before she was drowned out by shouts of 'Gall-o-way! Gall-o-way!'.

'I want to tell Mr Starmer above all, the plates have shifted tonight,' Mr Galloway then continued.

'Keir Starmer's problems just got 100 times more serious than they were before today.  This is going to spark a movement, a landslide, a shifting of the tectonic plates in scores of parliamentary constituencies.'

Mr Galloway claimed Labour was now 'on notice that they have lost the confidence of millions of their voters who loyally and traditionally voted for them'.  I've heard some of the narrative being spun around this election result this evening,' he added. 'Yes it's true, that every Muslim is bitterly angry at Keir Starmer and his listing Labour Party.  But you would be very foolish, if you did not realise that millions of other citizens of our country are too.  Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak are two cheeks of the same backside and they both got well and truly spanked tonight!'

Afterwards Mr Galloway said: 'I think Keir Starmer has woken up this morning to his worst nightmare.'

In a round of interviews this morning, Ms Reeves told Sky News: 'Labour regrets that we couldn't stand a candidate in this by-election and we apologise to the people of Rochdale for that.  George Galloway is someone who stokes up division and fear. This isn't how we would have wanted this by-election to play out.  The Labour candidate was removed as the candidate because of comments that he made. Keir Starmer took swift and decisive action to do that, because being a Labour candidate requires the highest of standards.'

Asked who Labour would have liked to see win the greater Manchester seat, she said: 'That was for the people of Rochdale to decide.'

Ms Reeves said: 'We've set out our position on Gaza and that was adopted by the Commons just the other week.  We've said there should be an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, that the loss of life has been intolerable, there must be no ground offensive in Rafah, aid has to be ramped up into the region, and, importantly, that we need to find a two-state solution.'

The contest to replace Sir Tony as Rochdale's MP was marred by raging tensions over Gaza, with claims of death threats, candidates wearing stab vests, and vandalism.  Mr Galloway, a controversial figure, became the favourite to win the by-election after Labour's bid to retain the Greater seat imploded.  Sir Keir's party had to ditch support for Mr Ali, a local councillor, as their official candidate following the emergence of his remarks about Israel.  The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) expressed its concerns about Mr Galloway's own views following his victory in Rochdale.  A spokesman said: 'George Galloway has an atrocious record of baiting the Jewish community.  Given his historic inflammatory rhetoric and the current situation faced by the Jewish community in this country, we are extremely concerned by how he may use the platform of the House of Commons in the remaining months of this parliament.'

Ahead of the Rochdale result being declared in the early hours of Friday, supporters of Mr Galloway had predicted a comfortable win for their candidate.  Chris Williamson, a former Labour MP and now deputy leader of Mr Galloway's Workers Party of Britain, told Sky News: 'We believe that we've won comfortably today and it really will, I think, send shockwaves through the Palace of Westminster.  But it will also, I think, give hope to tens of thousands, if not millions of people in the country who are looking for a genuine alternative, because our democracy has been stolen from us.  The Labour Party and the Conservative Party are effectively often the same thing.'

He added that a victory for Mr Galloway represented 'a total rejection of mainstream party politics'.

James Giles, campaign manager for Mr Galloway, said: 'It is going better than our wildest hopes. George will win here by a fair margin.'

A victory rally has been planned by Galloway supporters at their campaign HQ - a Suzuki car dealership in the town.  Simon Danczuk, the Reform UK candidate, was another ex-Labour MP looking for a way back into Parliament having previously been Rochdale's MP between 2010 and 2017.  He quit Labour almost seven years ago amid a 'sexting' scandal, when he was alleged to have sent explicit messages to a teenager.  Reform leader Richard Tice earlier conceded that Mr Danczuk's bid in Rochdale had failed, telling Sky News: 'There's no question Mr Galloway has won this election by what looks like a considerable margin. Everyone else, frankly, is also rans.'

Mr Tice bemoaned how 'menacing behaviour' had 'been a feature of this entire campaign' including 'outside polling stations' on Thursday.  He also questioned the validity of postal votes returned during the contest.  Former Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has previously criticised postal voting on a number of occasions following defeats for his various parties.  Mr Danczuk secured a little more than 6 per cent of the vote, coming sixth behind Mr Ali, the former Labour candidate.  William Howarth, an independent candidate said he agreed with Mr Tice that there had been an 'element of intimidation' running through the election campaign.  He revealed he was abused by a man carrying a Palestine flag on Thursday in Rochdale town centre.  After spotting his rosette the man called him 'a dirty Zionist bastard', Mr Howarth said. He added the man was arrested by police.  Mr Danczuk previously reported being the subject of a death threat during the campaign with police said to have made an arrest.  Mr Galloway denied his supporters had engaged in any intimidation, and claimed on Sky News that Mr Tice had invited him to be a Reform UK candidate in a recent by-election.  He added that he hoped he would be introduced to the Commons by Conservative former minister Sir David Davis and the former Labour leader, and now independent MP, Jeremy Corbyn.   There had been thoughts that Mr Ali might go on to win the Rochdale contest, after Labour discarded him too late to remove him from ballot paper.  He told ITV News on Thursday: 'I'm still on the ballot paper, I've been campaigning for the last few weeks and I'm hoping for a positive result.'

Asked whether he would take up his seat in the House of Commons if he won the by-election, Mr Ali replied: 'Absolutely.'

There had also been controversy around Green candidate Guy Otten, who had his party's support withdrawn over comments he made on Twitter.  But, like Mr Ali, his name still appeared on ballot papers when locals went to polling stations on Thursday.  Labour's campaign fell apart after a recording surfaced of Mr Ali suggesting Israel 'deliberately allowed' Hamas terror attacks on October 7 as a pretext to invade Gaza.  Shadow cabinet members Lisa Nandy and Anneliese Dodds both campaigned for him before Labour eventually withdrew support amid growing criticism.  The action against Mr Ali also followed the emergence of a fuller recording in which he was heard commenting on 'people in the media from certain Jewish quarters'.

Mr Ali subsequently apologised 'to Jewish leaders for my inexcusable comments'.

After he was ditched by Labour, local voters were urged to 'teach Keir Starmer a lesson' by continuing to support Mr Ali.  Pro-Palestinian backers of Mr Ali were reported to be sharing anti-Starmer posters on WhatsApp in a bid to drum up votes.  Alongside an image of Mr Ali, one read: 'Sacked by Starmer for speaking on Palestine. It's time to teach Starmer a lesson in Rochdale. Vote Azhar Ali.'

Another depicted Sir Keir as a clown and dubbed the Labour leader as 'anti Palestine Starmer', in comparison to Mr Ali as 'a stong voice for Palestine'.

Mr Galloway's campaign was also heavy on the Palestinian cause and Gaza, an issue close to the heart of many of Rochdale's Muslim population.  His team believed 15,000 votes would be enough to win most by-elections and Rochdale has a 30,000-strong Asian community.  There had been incidents of his campaign posters being torn down.Mr Danczuk had branded Mr Galloway's campaign as divisive and claimed his rival would be the 'MP for Gaza', not Rochdale.  The Tories were never expecting any success in Rochdale, with the Greater Manchester constituency having not had a Conservative MP since the 1950s.  Tory ex-Cabinet minister Robert Jenrick on Thursday hit out at how the Rochdale contest had become known as the 'Gaza by-election'.  He criticised some candidates for being 'more interested in a conflict they have no influence over than improving the lives of local people', adding: 'Shameful.'

Rochdale, which is one of the most deprived in England and voted 60 per cent in favour of Brexit, has also been the subject of Asian grooming gang scandals.  A major report in January concluded that young girls were left 'at the mercy' of paedophiles due to failings by senior police and council bosses.  Mr Howarth, involved in the group Parents Against Grooming UK, stood at the by-election as an independent.  He said he had taken to wearing a stab-vest while campaigning, such were tensions in the town during the contest.

Rochdale by-election result in full

George Galloway (Workers Party of Britain) 12,335 votes (39.65%)

David Tully (Independent) 6,638  votes (21.34%)

Paul Ellison (Conservative) 3,731 votes (11.99%)

Azhar Ali (Independent, initially Labour) 2,402 votes (7.72%)

Iain Donaldson (Liberal Democrat) 2,164 votes (6.96%)

Simon Danczuk (Reform) 1,968 votes (6.33%)

William Howarth (Independent) 523 votes (1.68%)

Mark Coleman 455 votes (1.46%)

Guy Otten (Green) 436 (1.40%, -0.68%)

Michael Howarth (Independent) 246 (0.79%)

Ravin Rodent Subortna (Loony Party) 209 votes (0.67%)

A ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert-like island.  The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island. The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.  After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship wrecked nearby, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the island. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.   Eventually the first man decided to pray for clothes and more food. The next day, all of these were given to him as the belongings from yet another shipwreck were washed ashore. However, the second man still had nothing.  Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found that overnight a ship had anchored on his side of the island.  The first man was welcomed aboard the ship along with his wife and he decided to say nothing of the other man, but instead leave him on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings since obviously none of his prayers had been answered.  As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a Voice booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"

"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything."

"You are gravely mistaken!" the Voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, and I answered it. If it were not for his prayers, you would not have received any of MY blessings."

"Tell me," the first man asked, "what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"

"He prayed that all your prayers would be answered."

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13100603/I-guarded-Britains-notorious-prisoners-WRONG-Hannibal-Cannibal-Robert-Maudsley-locked-glass-dungeon.html

I guarded some of Britain's most notorious prisoners this is why it is WRONG to keep 'Hannibal the Cannibal' Robert Maudsley locked in a glass dungeon

    EXCLUSIVE: Neil Samworth said the way Maudsley was being treated was 'unfair'
    Maudsley, 70, has been in a cell in the basement of HMP Wakefield since 1983
    He is guarded by four prison officers whenever he leaves the bulletproof cell

By Matthew Cox

Published: 08:22, 24 February 2024 | Updated: 09:51, 24 February 2024

A prison officer who worked at one of Britain's most notorious jails has revealed why he thinks a serial killer dubbed 'Hannibal the Cannibal' should be taken out of solitary confinement.  Neil Samworth, who served at HMP Strangeways in Manchester for more than a decade, said Robert Maudsley should be taken out of his glass dungeon.  Maudsley, 70, has been in solitary confinement in a bulletproof glass cell since 1983 after killing three people in prison while serving a life sentence for murder.  The twisted killer is kept in the bulletproof underground box, measuring 18ft by 14ft, for 23 hours a day, in the basement of Wakefield Prison.  He is guarded by four prison officers whenever he leaves his specially-made cell and holds the world record for most consecutive days in solitary.  Mr Samworth, who is now retired after a career 'surrounded' by murderers, told MailOnline: 'I think its wrong the way he has been treated. He is in total isolation and is not fair.'

He added: 'I think his crimes are historic now and he represents no real danger to others. It's a bit like Charlie Bronson.  Yes, he has had lots of fights in the past but he is an old man now.'

The violent prisoner has only been pictured once since his incarceration after being filmed for a documentary on him more than 40 years ago.  Maudsley himself has long urged the prison authorities to move him into better conditions.  In letters more than 20 years ago, he wrote: 'The prison authorities see me as a problem, and their solution has been to put me into solitary confinement and throw away the key, to bury me alive in a concrete coffin.  It does not matter to them whether I am mad or bad. They do not know the answer and they do not care just so long as I am kept out of sight and out of mind.  I am left to stagnate, vegetate and to regress; left to confront my solitary head-on with people who have eyes but don't see and who have ears but don't hear, who have mouths but don't speak.  My life in solitary is one long period of unbroken depression.'

Maudsley was given the nickname 'Hannibal the Cannibal' following false reports that he ate one of his victims' brains.  In 2022, a Channel 5 documentary revealed that the serial killer had told his nephew he vowed to kill again if he was released.  Maudsley's two-room cell is constructed from bullet proof Perspex and has compressed cardboard furniture.  The sadistic killer spends 23 hours of each day there, sleeping on a concrete slab and using a toilet and sink which are bolted to the floor.  Maudsley was born in Toxteth, Liverpool in 1953 and was the forth child of a local lorry driver.  But he had an unhappy start to life and was taken into care at a young age with his two brothers and sister after they were found to be victims of 'parental neglect'.  After several years in care, Maudsley and his siblings went back to live with his parents but there they were beaten severely and suffered 'physical abuse', his brother said.  During his last murder trial in 1979, the court heard that during his violent rages Maudsley believed his victims were his parents.  He said: 'When I kill, I think I have my parents in mind. If I had killed my parents in 1970, none of these people need have died. If I had killed them, then I would be walking around as a free man without a care in the world.'

Maudsley committed his first murder in 1974, at 21, after running away to London to work as a male prostitute as as a 16-year-old.  He brutally murdered paedophile John Farrell in Wood Green, after he showed pictures of children he had sexually abused.  Following the slaying, he handed himself in to police and immediately confessed his crime.  Maudsley was sent to Broadmoor Hospital, home to some of Britain's most violent criminals after he was deemed unfit to stand trial.   At Broadmoor he was a 'model' prisoner until 1977 when he and fellow prisoner David Cheeseman locked themselves in a cell with child molester David Francis.    After a gruesome nine-hour torture ordeal, the callous pair dangled Francis's lifeless body for prison guards to see.  According to one guard, the man was discovered with his head 'cracked open like a boiled egg' with a spoon hanging out of it and part of the brain missing.  Maudsley was then sent to HMP Wakefield nicknamed 'Monster Mansion' after being convicted of manslaughter.   At HMP Wakefield in 1978 Maudsley strangled and stabbed Salney Darwood, 46, who had been jailed for killing his wife.  He hid Darwood's body under bed before sneaking into the cell of paedophile Bill Roberts, 56, who had sexually abused a girl aged seven.  He stabbed Roberts, hacked his skull with a makeshift dagger and smashed his head against a wall.  It was only then that the brutal 'Hannibal' killer was sentenced to life imprisonment.  In 2000, Maudsley launched a legal bid to the courts requesting to be allowed to die.  He wrote a letter asking: 'What purpose is served by keeping me locked up 23 hours a day?  Why even bother to feed me and to give me one hour's exercise a day? Who actually am I a risk to?'

In the letter he described that his current treatment and confinement had led him to look forward to a 'psychological breakdown,' mental illness and 'probable suicide'.    He went on to question why he couldn't have a pet budgie, promising to love it and 'not eat it'.  Also questioning why he couldn't have a television to 'seen the world' and educate himself or music tapes.  He ended the letter saying: 'If the Prison Service says no then I ask for a simple cyanide capsule which I shall willingly take and the problem of Robert John Maudsley can easily and swiftly be resolved.'

Director of the Channel 5 film, Elliot Reed, said: 'West Yorkshire's notorious HMP Wakefield Prison is known in the prison system as the Monster Mansion.  It's a dustbin, a warehouse for the worst Category A prisoners.  Home to some of the most terrible men in British criminal history, like Roy Whiting, Jeremy Bamber, Charles Bronson, and Robert Maudsley.'

Mr Samworth said that while he had not worked at HMP Wakefield, he had heard of why it was such a difficult environment.  'In Wakefield there is no segregation so most wings are full of sex offenders, rapists and child killers,' he said, 'they are all in there together.  An offender from a gang or drug background would ask to be shipped out straight away. The issue would be the longer you stay there, others might think you were a sex offender by association.'

Last week, paedophile murderer Roy Whiting was stabbed by another prisoner, at the 'Monster Mansion' jail.  Whiting murdered eight-year-old schoolgirl Sarah Payne who he snatched off the street in July 2000.  The 65-year-old was said to have been left covered in blood after the stabbing but only suffered minor injuries.  It was just the latest attack on the inmate who has been repeatedly targeted by other prisoners over the years.  However, Mr Samworth suspects it was the result of a petty disagreement, rather than the nature of his conviction.  He said: 'Whiting has already done a lot of jail and everyone knows what he is in for.  The attack could be linked to a petty fall-out in Wakefield. So called prison beefs are rife, and can suddenly blow-up for no apparent reason.  Some of the worst offenders are people you have never heard of. In Wakefield Whiting will be no big thing.'

Mr Samworth also said that while Whiting's crimes were shocking, in Wakefield he would be seen as just another convict.  The former prison officer spoke of the vigilante form of justice found in prisons, where retribution was dished out on 'black eye Fridays'.  He added those who are in debt might be ordered to carry out violence on their creditor's behalf.  But, perhaps surprisingly, established criminals effectively acting as heads of their wings could be used to keep the peace.  'There is always a head of a wing,' Mr Samworth explained, 'for example at Strangeways we had people like Paul Massey and Paul Doyle from Salford.   You could ask them to have a word with people who were causing issues. You would just ask them to have a quiet word, and use their clout to settle things down.'