Galloway ordered out of House - and now suspended

Published on Tuesday 24 July 2007 00:31

GEORGE Galloway was thrown out of the Commons chamber last night and then suspended for 18 days after an inquiry by the parliamentary watchdog over his financial links to Saddam Hussein's Iraq regime.

The Respect MP was expelled by the Speaker, Michael Martin, after angry clashes over a speech in which he denounced the Commons standards and privileges committee as hypocritical and unjust.

He was sharply criticised by the committee in the wake of an investigation by Sir Philip Mawer, the Commissioner for Parliamentary Standards, into payments to a now defunct Iraq children's charity, the Mariam Appeal.

The anti-war MP had been speaking for more than an hour as he sought to defend himself against a motion to suspend him.

In fiery exchanges, Mr Galloway had accused the standards and privileges committee of hypocrisy and of acting "unjustly" as he was repeatedly admonished by Mr Martin for attacking the "good character" of its members.

The MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, continued: "Being lectured by the current House of Commons on the question of the funding of political campaigns is like being accused of having bad taste by Donald Trump, like being accused of slouching by the Hunchback of Notre Dame. This House stands in utter ill-repute on the question of the funding of political campaigns."

As he was ordered from the chamber, he shouted that he would continue his speech outside for anyone who wanted to hear it.